Radja Nainggolan (foto: Instagram)
Former Belgian international Radja Nainggolan opens up about his arrest during a major drug trafficking investigation, denying any involvement in the case.
Radja Nainggolan, the former Belgium international, has broken his silence following his recent arrest during a large-scale police operation targeting cocaine smuggling from South America to Europe.
The 36-year-old midfielder, who recently came out of retirement to sign with Belgian second-division side Lokeren, was released and allowed to defend himself while continuing his football activities.
In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Nainggolan shared his experience of being detained, emphasizing that he had no connection to the drug trafficking case in question.
"I was interrogated for four hours. When they took me before the investigating judge, it was already six in the evening. They told me I’d spend the whole night in a cell. It felt like they were arresting Pablo Escobar, even though I have nothing to do with the drug cases involving my friend," Nainggolan stated.
He further clarified that the authorities didn’t question him about drugs directly. "They didn’t ask me any questions related to drugs. They just wanted to know what kind of relationship I had with that person," he explained.
The Indonesian-born footballer also shared details about his time in custody. "Being in custody is a very strange experience, something I wouldn’t want to go through again. I was portrayed as a drug dealer," Nainggolan said.
Remarkably, just 24 hours after his interrogation, Nainggolan was back on the training pitch with Lokeren, eager to move past the incident and focus on his football career.