Cocaine and Colombia are basically synonymous, thanks to Pablo Escobar and the Cali cartel that took over after him. Hence, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that former Colombian footballer Diego Osorio was caught carrying cocaine.
The former defender was supposed to fly from Colombia to Spain, but was stopped by authorities after they found the illegal drug inside his underwear. The 46-year old former player apparently had to pay off some debts and hence carried the coke with him.
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He was carrying 1.145 kilos of cocaine while trying to catch a flight from Jose Maria Cordova airport in Rionegro to Spain. The estimated street value of the aforementioned amount of cocaine is around £40000.
This is not the first time that Osorio was caught while trafficking the controversial drug. Back in 2002, he was caught with possession of cocaine and was punished for it.
The former player played for Colombia from 1991 to 1995, representing the nation in the 1992 Olympics and the Copa Americas of 1991 and 1993. The defender is best known for his time with Atletico Nacional.
Colombia has been marred with cocaine-related problems ever since Pablo Escobar took over the drug trade back in the late-80s. Escobar was killed on a rooftop by a member of the Colombian police, but the legacy lived on as the Cali cartel sat on the throne left empty by Escobar’s death.
At one point in time, the Cali cartel were responsible for 90% of the world’s cocaine trade.
Even now, despite the absence of the aforementioned kingpins, Colombia is the country that produces the highest amount of cocaine in the world.
Rene Higuita worked for Escobar in the 90s
Diego Osorio isn’t the only Colombian player who managed to get involved in shady cocaine dealings. Back in the early-90s, eccentric Colombian goalkeeper, Rene Higuita – famous for his scorpion kick save – was caught and put in prison for his involvement with a kidnapping incident. He acted as a middleman between drug lords, Pablo Escobar and Carlos Molina, for the release of the latter’s daughter.
Higuita was the one who carried the money and received a whopping $64,000 for his services. This act was judged as one that was transgressing the laws of Colombia, which states that profiting from a kidnapping is a crime in itself.
