SURPRISE: Former Arsenal and France star caught up in shocking investigation

Samir Nasri has been interrogated as part of a major probe into a money laundering ring stemming from the French drug trade.

Former Arsenal star and Manchester City, Samir Nasri, is reported to have been detained by police for questioning in a money laundering investigation involving a drug lord nicknamed "The Boar."

According to Le Parisien, the former French international spent about 10 hours with police on Thursday. Nasri was later released that evening.

The interrogation is part of a large investigation into suspected acts involving drug importation, criminal conspiracy, and organized money laundering from proceeds of illicit drug sales.

Investigators are clarifying the connection between Nasri and the network around Hakim Berrebouh, a Marseille drug trafficker nicknamed "The Boar," who has been detained since 2021.

Police are reportedly examining Nasri's role in the part of the investigation concerning "organized money laundering" through the XS nightclub in Ivry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne.

Nasri became a shareholder of this nightclub around 2016, after reportedly investing several hundred thousand euros while still playing for Manchester City.

The investigation focuses on the period from 2021 to 2023, when investigators examined allegations that large sums of cash were withdrawn from the nightclub. According to information gathered during the preliminary investigation, Berrebouh's wife is suspected of repeatedly going to XS to collect large amounts of money while her husband was in prison.

The link between Nasri and the Berrebouh family is said to date back to their childhood in Marseille, when the former player had a close relationship with Hakim's brother. This is the second time Nasri has had to work with police as part of the investigation. Earlier, he was questioned in Marseille at the end of June.

Nasri earned 41 caps for France between 2007 and 2013. He played for Arsenal before moving to Manchester City and won two Premier League titles. After retiring, Nasri became a commentator for Canal Plus.