ANTWERP (DA) — Antwerp police said a patrol from its drug support team arrested a 27-year-old man after officers in the Deurne district allegedly caught him selling cocaine and later recovered more than 5,000 euros in cash during a search.
Police said officers on Jan. 10 noticed a man in Deurne who appeared to be looking for something. The man briefly got into and out of a car, according to the police account. A short time later, police stopped the vehicle and determined the driver had bought cocaine from the man who had stepped inside, the statement said.
Officers then checked the suspected seller and found 23 grams of cocaine and 150 euros on him, police said. Based on those findings, investigators carried out two searches, and during one of them police said they recovered more than 5,000 euros in cash.
The suspect was arrested and brought before an investigating judge, police said.
Antwerp police did not publicly identify the man in their statement. According to information received by Deporte Awe, the arrested 27-year-old is Nigel Robertha, a ex-pro soccer player who played as a striker and made his top-flight debut with Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie on May 1, 2016, coming on as a substitute in an away match against Willem II.
Robertha was part of Dutch youth national teams and was a member of Feyenoord’s squad that won the 2016–17 league title. After that season, he moved on to Cambuur, then later joined Levski Sofia in 2019.
In March 2021, he signed with D.C. United through the 2023 season, with an option for an additional year. His career also included shorter spells with Kalba SC in the United Arab Emirates, AEL Limassol in Cyprus, and Spartak Subotica in Serbia.
Robertha was included on Curaçao’s men’s national team pre-selection list on multiple occasions, but never made the squad.