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Published on 2024-02-14 15:13:53
Former Ajax and international winger Quincy Promes has been sentenced to six years in prison by a Dutch court for smuggling more than one thousand kilogrammes of cocaine. The 32-year-old, who is currently playing for Spartak Moscow, was not present in court to hear his sentence. Previous attempts to extradite him from Moscow have been unsuccessful, and on Wednesday, judges at the Amsterdam District Court issued a warrant for his arrest.
During the court proceedings, presiding judge M. Vaandrager stated that Promes, due to his footballing talent, was considered an example to many, especially young people. The judge also noted that Promes is frequently in the news, active on social media, and has fans worldwide, making it particularly disappointing that he chose to be involved in major international drug trafficking. As a result, the court deemed a six-year prison sentence to be suitable.
According to the court, Promes smuggled a total of 1,363 kilogrammes of cocaine from Brazil in 2020, through the Belgian port of Antwerp into the Netherlands with the assistance of an accomplice. The drugs were concealed in containers on board a ship, hidden in bags of salt, and were partially intercepted by customs officials. The court’s ruling was based on wire-tapped conversations and encrypted messages sent by Promes under the pseudonym “Fantasma.”
While prosecutors had requested a nine-year jail sentence, the court determined that their request was based on previous cases where the punishment was overly severe. Promes’ lawyers had argued that he was not guilty of the charges. Following the verdict, his legal team stated that he planned to appeal the judgement.
The judges also noted that Promes was considered a “flight risk” due to his residence in Russia and his career as a professional football player. They expressed understanding that Promes had chosen to reside in Russia to avoid potential detention and fulfill his obligations in the football world, but also stated that it gave reason to conclude that he could evade the execution of the imposed prison sentence.
In a separate case, Promes had already been sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay compensation for a stabbing incident involving his cousin over a stolen necklace. He had represented the Netherlands in 50 international matches, scoring seven goals, but has not been part of the national team since a match at the Euro 2020 championships in 2021. Promes joined Ajax in Amsterdam in 2019 and later moved on to Spartak Moscow in 2021, where he currently plays. Prior to his time at Ajax, he played for Sevilla in La Liga.
