A former Malaga player Sergio Contreras, known popularly as “Koke,’’ pleaded guilty to being the leader of a gang of drug traffickers and received a six-year prison sentence.
Contreras, 40, who also played for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo, Marseille and Sporting Club, accepted a plea deal at a law court in Malaga on Tuesday after prosecutors previously asked for a 16-year prison sentence.
Koke’s sentence will be handed down over the next few days and cannot be appealed.
He was one of the 17 defendants charged with buying large amounts of drugs that were smuggled in lorries into various European countries.
The Spanish police disbanded the ring led by Contreras in November 2019 after an intense investigation.
Koke began his football career at Malaga his home club, where he then made his senior debut in 2002. He made seven appearances in MLS for Houston in the 2011 season.
Contreras’ best seasons were spent at Aris where he scored 31 goals in 141 appearances during two stints with the Greek side before he retired in 2016.
