Maradona Arrested for Possession of Narcotics

Diego Maradona, suspended from soccer for using cocaine, was arrested Friday for possession of illegal narcotics.

A package of white powder, confiscated at a Buenos Aires apartment in which Maradona was present, will be analyzed, police chief Jorge Chissone told reporters. The powder is believed to be cocaine, said Diarios y Noticias and Noticias Argentinas, two local news agencies.

Federal Judge Amelia Berraz de Vidal denied the reports by the agencies that cocaine definitely was seized. The judge, who must determine whether to file charges, ordered that Maradona be held incommunicado until she interviews him, but she didn’t say when that would be. Maradona reportedly will remain in custody until Monday.

He smiled as he was led by police from an apartment building in the Caballito neighborhood of Buenos Aires. But he looked forlorn as he was shoved into the back seat of a squad car between two plainclothes policemen.

Fans chanting “Diego! Diego!” tried to block police from putting Maradona in the car. Reporters at the federal police narcotics division said he had tears in his eyes when he arrived there. Two others were arrested, Chissone said.

Maradona, 30, was suspended for 15 months by the Italian League on March 29 after an analysis of his urine tested positive for cocaine. The ban was later extended by the International Federation of Association Football.