A former MLS player has been arrested on suspicion of running a drug cartel in Spain after $775,000 and approximately a ton of hash were seized during a raid

Barnaby Lane

November 21, 2019 4:00 PM

A former MLS player has been arrested on suspicion of running a drug cartel in Spain.

Sergio Contreras Pardo

Sergio "Koke" Contreras Pardo was taken into custody on Tuesday following a number of raids throughout Malaga, Granada, and Sevilla, according to Agence France-Presse.
19 others were arrested, and about a ton of hashish, $775,000, and various firearms were also seized, says AFP.
Police told AFP that Contreras was suspected to be the "head of the organization."
Contreras, 36, played for number of clubs across the world during his career, including Malaga, Marseille, and the Houston Dynamo.
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A former MLS player has been arrested on suspicion of running a drug cartel in Spain.

Sergio "Koke" Contreras Pardo, formerly of the Houston Dynamo, was taken into custody on Tuesday following a number of raids throughout Malaga, Granada, and Sevilla, according to the Agence France-Presse.

19 others were arrested, however police told AFP that Contreras was suspected to be the "head of the organization."

About a ton of hashish, $775,000, and numerous weapons that included sidearms and rifles were also seized, according to the report.

The police operation to capture Contreras was dubbed "Operation MasKoke" in reference to the former forward's nickname.

Koke, 36, played for a number of clubs across the world during his 15-year professional career, including stints at Malaga, Marseille, and Houston Dynamo, the latter for whom he only made seven appearances before asking to have his contract terminated for personal reasons.

He most recently played for Greek side Aris Thessaloniki in 2016, however has since retired.