Pele’s son sentenced to 13 years in prison for money laundering and drug trafficking

The son of Brazilian football legend Pele has been sentenced to 13-years behind bars after he was convicted of money laundering and drug trafficking.

Edinho, whose full name is Edson Cholbi do Nascimento turned himself in late Friday night after the Brazilian court ordered him to begin serving a 13-year prison sentence.

Edson, 46 who briefly played for his father's former club Santos, was originally sentenced to 33 years in 2014 and had so far avoided serving time while his case underwent a lengthy appeals process.

A judge on Thursday last week reaffirmed the conviction, but reduced his original 33 jail sentence to 12 and 10 months with immediate effect.
 

Edinho alongside his father in 2007 (Photo: AFP)

Edinho who was a goalkeeper for several clubs in Brazil in the 1990's, maintained his innocence and vowed to continue fighting the charges.

"There's great frustration because I am being accused of money laundering, but I never did that," he said.

Edinho, one of seven children of three-time world champion Pele, was first detained in 2005 following a police swoop on a drug trafficking gang. He served six months in prison but was then released on parole.