Born in 1983, Pardo, known as Koke, was a familiar face in European football in the early 2000s.

Koke debuted in La Liga at 19 with Malaga under coach Joaquin Peiro, scoring in his first match against Willem II in the 2002 Intertoto Cup. Throughout his career, besides Malaga, he played for clubs like Rayo Vallecano, Sporting Lisbon, Marseille, Aris Thessaloniki, and Houston Dynamo.

Koke's peak was with Marseille, where he played 47 matches, scored 6 goals, and played alongside stars such as Didier Drogba, Franck Ribery, and Samir Nasri. However, after leaving football in 2016, the former forward's life took a dramatically different turn.

Sergio Contreras Pardo was once a Marseille star, but is now embroiled in legal trouble for drug trafficking.

In a Canal Plus France program, cited by El Espanol, Koke admitted involvement in drug trafficking across Europe. "As a player, you can earn one million euros a year. But in that other industry, two months can equal a year of football, in exchange for your life", he stated.

Koke did not directly engage in illegal activities; he managed operations remotely, significantly aided by his brother. He also employed sophisticated money laundering techniques, transforming drug money into legitimate investments through real estate brokerage firms. This tactic complicated police investigations, but authorities eventually tracked Koke down.

In 2019, during "Operation Maskoke," launched by Spain's Guardia Civil in Malaga, Seville, and Granada, Koke, his brother, and 11 others were arrested. By 2023, a court sentenced Koke to 6 years in prison for leading a cannabis trafficking ring—a plant containing the psychoactive substance THC. Authorities seized approximately one ton of hashish, a compressed resin from cannabis used as a drug, along with numerous weapons.

"I have connections everywhere, but I'm not Pablo Escobar," Koke remarked about the "international drug lord" moniker associated with him. According to the former player, his football past offered no special treatment in prison. "There are many French people there, even many who were Marseille fans. I even saw quite a few Marseille jerseys in the detention center".

His second incarceration prompted Koke to reflect on his life. He shared: "In France, they can kill you very quickly. Here, in prison, you can also be killed, but I'm not afraid. Prison is for fools anyway".

Once hailed as a hero in Greece, even providing financial support to his former club Aris Thessaloniki, Koke now confronts a harsh reality behind bars—the price of his downfall after the spotlight of the pitch faded.

Beyond Koke, the global and regional football community has witnessed many former players fall due to drugs. In Europe, Ronnie Stam, a former Wigan defender who played in the Premier League, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for smuggling over two tons of cocaine into the Netherlands. In England, Michael Boateng, a former professional player, received a 14-year sentence for possessing nearly 20 kg of crystal methamphetamine and other prohibited substances.

In the US, former midfielder Jhon Viafara—who played for Portsmouth, Southampton, and the Colombia national team—was sentenced to 11 years for cocaine trafficking after being extradited from Colombia. Most recently, Quincy Promes, a former Netherlands international, received a 6-year sentence for smuggling 1,36 tons of cocaine.

These incidents serve as a stark warning about the allure of money and the legal risks after retiring from football, illustrating how real-life pressures and "traps" can lead former stars to pay a heavy price.

Hong Duy (according to AS)