Girlfriend of former world snooker champion was a drug dealer: "Money transfers up to €35,000"

Luca Brecel was unable to extend his World Snooker Championship title this year, after his triumph at the Crucible in 2023. Brecel (partly) attributed his victory last year to his new love, Laura Vanoverberghe, now 25.

"Without Laura, this would not have been possible," Brecel told in an interview with Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg. How love can bring out the best in a man.

This love affair could now prove a little more complicated, as Vanoverberghe has been named in a drug case in her native Belgium.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

According to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, Vanoverberghe has been "the subject of a legal investigation into a drug gang operating under the name 'C-Team'".

'C' stands for cocaine, which the gang sold in large quantities, as well as other types of drugs, per Het Nieuwsblad.

Everything started when Wayan Z. (31) was pulled off the road by the police for improper driving on July 25, 2022. In his house, the police found drugs and weapons and Vanoverberghe, who was sleeping there, according to the newspaper.

Vanoverberghe was not Brecel's girlfriend at the time. Further investigations showed that Wayan Z. was the head of a drug gang called 'C Team', in which Vanoverberghe sold drugs between March 2022 and January 2023.

"First she was a driver for the gang, later she took on a more organisational role. A bank investigation revealed that as much as 35,000 euros was deposited in her account by customers," prosecutor Lode Vandaele told Het Nieuwsblad.

Vanoverberghe, who also allegedly used drugs, was arrested in September 2023, but immediately released on terms, per Het Nieuwsblad. She now faces 37 months suspended sentence, with the prosecutor asking for a forfeiture of 65,000 euros.

Vanoverberghe's case will be heard on 6 June. Luca Brecel has not yet made a statement.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!