WATCH: Maradona portraits used to traffic drugs
The football legend passed away last month from what was said to be heart failure.
Football legend Maradona, who passed away this week, was known to have abused drugs. He dies of cardiac arrest on Wednesday. Picture: AFP
The Argentine football great struggled with cocaine addiction for many years before he died in hospital in November.
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Turkish police seized 2.5 kilograms of cocaine at Istanbul airport, hidden in portraits of the controversial former football star. A 72-year-old German national of Croatian origin flew into Turkey from Colombia and was arrested at Customs after what is termed as ‘dubious conduct’ from the man alerted the Directorate.
An X-ray was run on the man’s luggage, and along with the help of sniffer dogs the cocaine was discovered in the paintings he was carrying. The tiny plates of cocaine found inside the portraits are said to be worth $250 000, about R3,7 million on the street.
Maradona died in November, a month after his 60th birthday from what is believed to be a heart attack. Maradona rose to stardom after captain Argentina to win the 1986 World Cup where he scored the infamous hand of God goal. But his sterling career in the national team was ruined by a doping scandal in 1994 that got him kicked out of the squad.
Diego Armando Maradona’s name continues to be associated with cocaine even after his death.
Maradona has been hospitalised throughout his life, with a cocaine-induced heart failure in 2000 almost taking his life.
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