Former Arsenal star Samir Nasri has reportedly been arrested as part of a police investigation over alleged links to jailed drug trafficking kingpin 'Wild Boar.'
Nasri has been working as a pundit for French channel Canal Plus since hanging up his boots in September 2021. He spent three years with the Gunners before spells at fellow Premier League clubs Manchester City and West Ham United.
The 39-year-old has been questioned by the French authorities at the offices of the Financial Investigation and Research Brigade (BRIF) of the Paris judicial police over alleged links to an individual named Hakim Berrebouh. The Marseille trafficker has been behind bars since 2021 and Nasri's involvement stems from allegations over "organised money laundering."
Nasri Arrested For Alleged Money Laundering
Samir-Nasri-Man-City
Samir Nasri of Man City
French outlet Le Parisien claims that Nasri was arrested and questioned by police for 10 hours on Thursday. He was released in the evening without charge, and no legal proceedings will be brought against him.
The major investigation surrounds suspected drug importation, criminal conspiracy and organised money laundering of drug trafficking proceeds. French police are said to have examined Nasri because he is a shareholder in XS nightclub in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne.
Nasri's alleged involvement is through 'organised money laundering ', and investigators claim that jailed trafficker Berrebouh suggested Nasri take a financial stake in XS. This agreement had reportedly been verbal and never formally recorded.
The former Premier League star is thought to have invested a few hundred thousand euros while still at City in 2016. He later became the co-owner of the nightclub alongside a loyal client named Bilele Z, who was also in police custody on Thursday.
Berrebouh's wife is alleged to have visited the venue several times to withdraw large sums of money while her husband was imprisoned. Nasri and the Berrebouh family have been connected since childhood in Marseille and the former France footballer reportedly held a close relationship with the drug kingpin's older brother.
Nasri insisted in his police interview that he believed he'd sold all his shares in the nightclub to Berrebouh. The ex-Gunners star was questioned in late June as part of the investigation, which focuses on the years 2021 to 2023.
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Nasri's Past Issues With The Law
Samir Nasri
While Nasri has been released, he might face further questioning over a potential formal indictment. It's not the first time he's been in trouble with the law; he served an 18-month doping ban in February 2018.
UEFA banned Nasri from playing for six months for breaching WADA rules after receiving an intravenous drip of 500 milliliters of water containing nutrients. This ban was increased by an extra 12 months after UEFA's ethics and disciplinary inspector appealed.
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Nasri blamed the ban for curtailing his career, which was constantly shrouded in controversy. He enraged Arsenal fans when he left for City in 2011, joining the Etihad club for £25m.