“I thank all my fans around the world for the support and affection you show me. I can’t wait to hug you all because I’m innocent.” With these words, entrusted to his lawyer, Antony De Avila Charris professes his innocence. The former footballer, striker of the Colombian national team and of the America of Cali, was arrested in Naples on 21 September for drug trafficking: the agents of the Vicaria-Mercato Commissariat of the State Police surprised him on the street and discovered that an arrest warrant issued in 2004 by the Naples Public Prosecutor’s Office hung on him; De Avila, now 58, had therefore been a fugitive for 17 years.

The lawyer of the former Colombian footballer, the lawyer Fabrizio De Maio, who met the 58-year-old in prison, said: “My client was free to move, so much so that on June 28, 2021, he took a plane from Cali, bound for Madrid, and from there he left to reach Naples. a few days later. He has therefore crossed many borders, has been subjected to many checks by the police and no one has ever stopped him “. The lawyer has made it known that he will do everything to guarantee the freedom of his client.

The arrest of Antony De Avila

On 21 September, Antony De Avila Charris, nicknamed “El Pitufo”, former striker of the Colombian national team (with which he played in the world championships of USA 94 and France 98), of America of Cali, who also played in Argentina and in the United States, it was traced to piazza De Nicola, in Porta Capuana, by the policemen of the Vicaria-Mercato police station, who discover that on his head hangs a warrant for arrest for drug trafficking issued in 2004.