Former Footballer Coentrao Caught with a Ton of Illegal Seafood

Portuguese authorities seized a ton of illegal seafood on Wednesday from a warehouse owned by former Real Madrid footballer Fabio Coentrao. Inspectors from Portugal's Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM) discovered up to 12 tanks filled with seawater containing lobsters, shrimp, and crabs in Coentrao's unlicensed warehouse at the fishing port of Póvoa de Varzim, a city near Porto.

According to the Jornal de Noticias newspaper, of the 1,020 kilos of seafood found, 760 lacked documentation or invoices to justify their capture. Portuguese authorities responsible for food safety and economic surveillance have already warned Coentrao to close the business, which opened seven months ago. There is also suspicion of illegal water extraction directly from the sea.

Coentrao, who comes from a family of fishermen and retired from active football in May 2021, faces a hefty fine due to his allegedly illegal nursery, which will be shut down following the seafood seizure. The former Portuguese footballer reportedly threatened to break the camera of reporters who visited his nursery after learning of the seizure, according to the Portuguese channel 'Sic Noticias'.