
(foto: pigac.si)
Ex-footballer Jesús Emilio Díez de Mier, aka Txutxi, arrested after years on the run. Convicted in 2014 for smuggling 950 kg of cocaine with Serbian accomplice.
Former Spanish footballer Jesús Emilio Díez de Mier, better known as Txutxi, has been arrested in Spain after evading justice for nearly a decade. Txutxi had been on the run since 2015, following a conviction for smuggling 950 kilograms of cocaine worth $32 million into Spain from Argentina between 2008 and 2009.
In 2014, the National Court of Madrid found Txutxi and his accomplice, former Serbian footballer Predrag Stanković, guilty of drug trafficking. While Stanković served his sentence and has since been released, Txutxi fled and remained in hiding until December 15, 2024, when he was apprehended during a routine highway check.
Police stopped Txutxi for inspection and immediately noticed that the documents he provided were forged. After further investigation at the police station, his true identity was revealed, leading to his arrest.
Txutxi, who played for Athletic Bilbao during the 1995/96 season, will now begin serving his nine-year prison sentence. By the time he is released, he will be 60 years old, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the former athlete.
Txutxi’s arrest closes a chapter that began over a decade ago, with one of the largest cocaine smuggling operations in Spain’s recent history. His accomplice, Stanković, had already served his time, but Txutxi’s ability to evade authorities for so long highlights the challenges of international fugitives.