Former France international Samir Nasri was held in police custody for approximately ten hours on Thursday as investigators questioned him in connection with a wide-ranging organised crime investigation.

The 39-year-old, who represented clubs including Marseille, Arsenal and Manchester City, was questioned by officers from the financial investigation unit of the Paris judicial police.

According to L’Équipe’s report on the case, the judicial investigation concerns suspected drug importation, criminal conspiracy and the laundering of proceeds linked to drug trafficking by an organised group.

Nasri was released on Thursday evening without being charged. His placement in police custody does not mean that he has been found guilty of any offence, and no formal proceedings have been opened against him at this stage.

Read also: Evenepoel voices frustration with Lipowitz after Pyrenean stage

Investigators examine nightclub links

The investigation reportedly focuses partly on Nasri’s previous involvement with XS, a nightclub in Ivry-sur-Seine, south-east of Paris.

Nasri became a shareholder in the business around 2016 and is also reported to have held a managerial position at the venue. Investigators are examining financial transactions connected to the nightclub and the identities of people involved in its ownership and operation.

At the centre of the wider case is Hakim Berrebouh, a Marseille drug trafficker who has been imprisoned since 2021. Another figure under investigation is Olivier Sabbah, who is suspected of playing an important role in a network allegedly used to launder money on Berrebouh’s behalf.

Nasri’s reported connection to Berrebouh and the nightclub prompted investigators to question him about his investment and his knowledge of the establishment’s financial affairs.

Read also: Materazzi confirms infamous Zidane insult that led to 2006 World Cup final headbutt

Although he was released without charge, he could be summoned again if investigators believe further questioning is required. His representatives have not publicly commented on the latest developments.

Separate dispute with French tax authorities

The criminal investigation is unrelated to an ongoing dispute between Nasri and the French tax authorities over his official country of residence.

Nasri maintains that he is a tax resident in Dubai, where he lives with his family. French authorities, however, argue that his personal and professional ties indicate that France was his primary residence during the period under examination.

According to Le Parisien’s account of the tax case, the authorities are seeking approximately €5.51 million from the former midfielder.

Read also: Starmer hints at bank holiday for England World Cup win amidst political transition

The claim includes €5.25 million in alleged unpaid income tax for the period between 2020 and 2022, as well as €82,000 relating to France’s real estate wealth tax between 2019 and 2025. The remaining amount is understood to include additional charges and penalties.

Investigators reportedly relied on several elements when assessing Nasri’s residency, including travel records, his ownership of property and interests in French companies, and his work as a television pundit for Canal+.

They also identified 212 Deliveroo orders delivered to a Paris address during 2022. Nasri’s lawyers have challenged the significance of the orders, arguing that it has not been established who placed them.

Nasri’s lawyers reject tax claim

Nasri has strongly disputed the tax authority’s calculations and maintains that he has complied with his obligations.

Read also: The real reason Erling Haaland has become football's biggest star revealed

Quoted by Le Parisien in a follow-up article, his lawyer Jean-Noël Sanchez said: “This debt does not exist because the administration confused bank credits with undeclared income.”

As a precautionary measure while the dispute continues, French authorities have reportedly frozen funds held in Nasri’s bank accounts and placed a provisional judicial mortgage on one of his properties in Paris.

Nasri is contesting those measures. The tax proceedings remain ongoing and are separate from the organised money laundering investigation in which he was questioned on Thursday.

Read also: “Significant milestone”: Manchester United reveal site for new 100,000-seat stadium