JAKARTA - Latin American soccer stars Neymar and Luis Suarez have been accused of being involved in an indirect cocaine trafficking scandal. The two athletes were once the stars of the promotion of My Brand clothing, a business that was reportedly just a cover behind the cocaine business.
Suarez in one of his tweets in 2016 then showed himself wearing the brand's clothes.
"Starting tomorrow you will be able to enjoy Luis Suarez's Platinum collection from @MyOfficialBrand. I hope you will like it," the former Barcelona player tweeted.
Domenico G. as the owner of the clothing brand, has been arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling and money laundering. One Dutch media outlet claimed Domenico G. used his clothing business as an "ideal mask for his criminal activities".
Police raided Domenico's home in Amsterdam this month. During the raid, the authorities found firearms plus cash of around 195,000 pounds, or 3.5 billion rupiah.
At the time of the raid, the 44-year-old owner was abroad. He then surrendered only after returning to the Dutch capital.
In addition to Neymar and Suarez, former Netherlands goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer was also part of the My Brand promotion star a few years ago. Then Arsenal winger Glenn Helder also served as an ambassador for the brand in 2018.
"When people see players like Neymar and Suarez in that outfit, they quickly think: it must be a good brand," said Detective Arno van Leeiwen.
"So these football players are being sacrificed through the clothing line, which is again a cover for the cocaine business line," he added.
Until now there has been no comment from Neymar and Suarez. However, My Brand said in a statement released on Twitter that Domenico G.'s arrest was purely a personal matter and had nothing to do with their brand.
"Therefore, the criminal prosecution has nothing to do with My Brand at all. Against the background above (at this time), no further announcements on this matter will be made," tweeted My Brand.
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