Football has always been a fertile ground for the activity of organized crime, but this story is unusual by any standard. Jean-Manuel Ndre, a 29-year-old attacking midfielder who has been on the Martinique team for many years, was arrested yesterday (Wednesday) at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris together with an accomplice, with over 100 kilograms of cocaine in his possession.
The huge amount of the white drug was hidden in the suitcases of the two and was caught during a routine check, without any intelligence information or any prior preparation by the border controllers.
Nedra has been detained since Wednesday and after he was brought before a judge last night, it appears that he will remain in custody until the end of the legal proceedings – this is in contrast to a friend he was arrested with, who was released to house arrest. This is of course another sign that Ndre is actually the main suspect in the case.
According to reports in France, the suspicion against Nadra is that he served as a messenger for an international criminal organization. According to estimates, he had previously smuggled drugs to France in small quantities.
Lamentin, the team from the first division in Martinique where Nadra has been playing since 2014, said in response to the arrest: “Without knowing the extent of Jean-Manuel’s involvement in the case, we were informed that he was arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling. We are surprised and shocked by the accusations, and will respond according to developments in the case.”
The 29-year-old Nedra was previously named “one of the most talented players in Martinique in the 2000s”. He has been on the team’s roster intermittently since 2012, and managed to make 6 media appearances, including at the Gold Cup in 2017.