Former Real Madrid and Portugal defender Fabio Coentrao is under investigation for involvement in illegal seafood trading, according to Portugal's food safety authority (Asae).
Coentrao, 36, retired from football in 2021 and shifted to the fishing industry. Reports from Jornal de Noticias reveal that he owns three fishing boats and rented a warehouse seven months ago to sell seafood.
Health authorities recently suspended operations at three illegal warehouses in northern Portugal, seizing 17 tonnes of foodstuffs. Among these was a shellfish farm linked to Coentrao, according to an Asae spokesperson.
On Wednesday, inspectors visited Coentrao's warehouse in the fishing port of Povoa do Varzim. There, they found 12 seawater tanks containing lobsters and prawns. Authorities seized over a tonne of shellfish due to irregularities, including missing invoices and the absence of a trading licence.
Coentrao, born in the coastal town of Vila do Conde, earned 52 caps for Portugal and won two Champions League titles with Real Madrid.
