Cocaine, custody: Mike Joseph (Tarbes-Lourdes) arrested for drug trafficking
This comes as a real shock for Tarbes-Lourdes club. Their center Mike Joseph (2.03 m, 31 years old), a key figure in the team, was arrested and taken into custody for suspected cocaine trafficking. According to information revealed by La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées, this talented center will appear in an immediate court hearing this Monday at the Tarbes courthouse.
Player arrested with 150 grams of cocaine in Lourdes
The arrest took place between Sunday October 5 and Monday October 6, at Mike Joseph’s residence in Lourdes. During the search, 150 grams of cocaine and 3,000 euros in cash were reportedly seized by investigators. This quantity was sufficient to rule out personal use and suggest organized trafficking, according to La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées.
According to the newspaper, law enforcement examined the player’s phone to trace exchanges and determine his role in the network. Police were still trying on Friday to precisely establish the former Poitiers prospect’s position in this case, to determine whether he was just a dealer or actually a wholesaler.
The Tarbes prosecutor confirmed that Mike Joseph was to be brought before the court after several months of investigation.
A second player briefly questioned
Also according to La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées, another Union Tarbes-Lourdes player was also arrested on Monday, directly at Quai de l’Adour. He was quickly questioned then released and cleared. Police had arrested him simply because he had dinner with Mike Joseph the night before.
Union immediately suspends Mike Joseph
Absent from the French Cup game against Sables Vendée Basket on Tuesday evening, Mike Joseph will likely never play again for Union. « For now, he is suspended pending trial and verdict, but one thing is certain: we will not keep a drug dealer in our team, » explained a club official to La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées.
The club also released an official statement on Friday:
« Mike Joseph is suspended with immediate effect as his behavior off the court is in total opposition to our values.
Union Tarbes Lourdes Pyrénées Basket reaffirms its absolute commitment to respecting laws and principles of integrity, responsibility and exemplarity that must guide every member of our organization.
Our club, beyond sporting performance, has a mission to represent basketball with dignity and contribute positively to society.
Behaviors contrary to these values will not be tolerated. »
Season already over for the French Guianan center
Mike Joseph’s 2025-2026 season thus comes to an abrupt end. Suspended for the first game of the season against Tours, he will have only played two National 1 (NM1) championship games and one French Cup game before this legal matter. A key player in coach Stéphane Dao’s system who previously coached him in Toulouse, he will be greatly missed by his team this Friday evening away at Val de Seine.
Now remains to be seen how Union will bounce back, both athletically and humanly, after this second straight scandal in Bigorre basketball, following the disappearance of Tarbes Gespé Bigorre. For Mike Joseph, a center gifted with exceptional offensive talent but often criticized for his lack of professionalism and defense, the future of his career looks complicated.
Mike Joseph, raw talent that could have achieved more
Very athletic as a child in French Guiana, this cyclist’s son started basketball from scratch. Spotted during the first edition of Kevin Seraphin’s camp in 2011, Mike Joseph immediately joined Poitiers, while still in his final U18 year. There, this big frame revealed real offensive talent. But after seven years at PB86, while managing to establish himself in the professional squad (8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in just 15 minutes during the 2015-2026 Pro B season), he didn’t achieve the expected breakthrough. Moving down to NM1 first with Toulouse, he produced impressive statistics (16.5 points and 8 rebounds in 26 minutes) without moving back up to bigger teams. After two big games with Kaysersberg in NM1 (31 points on 10/16 shooting, 10 rebounds and 9 fouls drawn, then 15 points on 7/13, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks in 26 minutes against Chartres), he returned to Pro B with Denain as Warren Woghiren’s replacement (9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds for 11.5 evaluation in 19 minutes over 13 games). Just before lockdown, neighboring club Lille brought him in to replace Sherman Gay. But the 2019-2020 season ended a few days later.
Without a club in late October, Toulouse and Stéphane Dao called him back. Still very effective (14.1 points average), he brought TBC to the doorstep of Pro B during an exceptional 2020-2021 season. After going through Challans, he joined Tarbes-Lourdes in 2022, where he became a cornerstone of the local offense.
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