When Mohammed Jaraya was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, arms trafficking and money laundering earlier this year his kickboxing career looked to be as good as over. The Dutch Moroccan lightweight’s fight at Glory 83 in February was cancelled amid reports his life was in danger due to a gangland dispute.
Jaraya is already known to the Dutch police. In 2018 he received a two month suspended sentence an 14o hours of community service for his role in two incidents.
The first occurred in a Dutch courtroom when Jaraya was part of a mob which attacked a murder suspect. The second came at a party when the 31 year old assaulted three people.
He also received a two year ban from kickboxing in 2017 after starting a brawl at an Enfusion event. These latest charges sound far more serious and it is a surprise that Jaraya is still able to travel and fight.
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Encrypted phones
Jaraya had previously starred in promotional videos for a brand of encrypted phoned called Exclu. Dutch authorities were able to hack into the network and obtain access to five months worth of messages.
Jaraya was subsequently arrested and charged with three separate offences. He spent several months in prison awaiting trial but having been released the 31 year old reportedly fled to Dubai.
The criminal charges aren’t the only problem the kickboxer has in his homeland. He is also reported to be involved in a dispute with a rival gang over a stolen shipment of cocaine.
His father’s shop has been targeted twice, once in a grenade attack and once with a gun. A grenade has also been thrown at one of the gyms which Jaraya trains at.
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Outside interests
Jaraya clearly has a lot going on outside of kickboxing. He is still determined to continue competing by the looks of it and will be facing Kaito Ono at Rise World Series on December 16th.
Kaito is the reigning Rise middleweight champion and recently challenged for the Glory lightweight title, dropping a decision to Tyjani Beztati in the Netherlands. Jaraya has not fought since 2019, within weeks of his win over Massaro Glunder at Glory 74 stories started to emerge linking him to the Dutch criminal underworld.
In 2020 Jaraya’s Instagram feed started to feature photos of him reclining on luxury yachts and sitting back in first class plane seats. He started spending time in Dubai and the following year the criminal feud involving the kickboxer kicked off.
He was arrested on January 21st this year and didn’t come out of custody until September. Prosecutors in July described him as a ‘major player’ in a conspiracy to import large amounts of cocaine into the country.
At the time the Dutch media suggested that Jaraya’s kickboxing career was over. He has found a way to continue competing despite the serious criminal charges hanging over him and will be in action in Tokyo next month.
