A former Spanish footballer starred for his boyhood club and became an icon in Greece, but his life was derailed when he was arrested for drug trafficking in 2019
Former Malaga and Marseille star Koke was arrested for drug trafficking in 2019 and remains in prison after a guilty plea.
The 42-year-old claims he made six times his footballing wage from the drug trade but insists he is “not Pablo Escobar.” Koke, whose real name is Sergio Contreras Pardo, began his career with his boyhood club, Malaga, in southern Spain. From there, he headed to Marseille, where he made the 2004 UEFA Cup final.
The forward later made a name for himself with Greek side Aris Thessaloniki, making over 170 appearances. He also starred for the likes of Sporting CP in Portugal and Houston Dynamo in the US before retiring in 2017.
But just two years after hanging up his boots, Koke was arrested as part of a major police sweep in his hometown. He later admitted to leading a central drugs ring, which mainly bought marijuana and cannabis resin as well as cocaine.
“I earned in two months what I earned in a year playing football,” Koke admitted to Canal Plus in 2021. “In the other business, you earn in two months what you can earn in a year in football. But you’re risking your life.
“I have contacts everywhere, but I’m not Pablo Escobar! When you hear that ‘international trafficker’ thing, you say to yourself: What the hell have I done?”
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Koke was one of 17 defendants accused of buying large amounts of drugs that were then smuggled to other European countries after his 2019 arrest.
An initial 16-year sentence was sought for the Spanish former footballer, but in May 2023, he and 16 others appeared before the Provincial Court of Malaga. Koke reached a plea bargain with prosecutors.
For his role in the trafficking, he was sentenced to six years in prison, and he and his associates were ordered to pay significant fines. Having served nearly two years in pre-trial detention and being released on bail in 2021, he returned to serve out the remainder of his sentence in 2023.
It is thought that Koke will be released from prison next year, and he has spoken out about what his experience was like pre-trial. He said five years ago: “I knew everyone, but being a footballer doesn’t change anything [in prison].
“There were many French people, including some from Marseille. I saw a lot of Olympique de Marseille shirts in prison. In France, you can get killed very quickly for that. Here in prison, they can kill you as well, but I’m not afraid.
“Prison is open to stupid people. I’m going back to prison, I don’t know for how long, but I’m sentenced until 2027. Going to prison isn’t the worst thing in the world.
“I would like to convey to society that we are normal people, that the presumption of innocence must exist, that people cannot be excluded because they have been to prison and everyone deserves a chance.”