Netherlands star given long prison sentence over drug smuggling charge

Milan Keskin

• Updated: 14 Feb 2024 11:02 GMT
• 2 min read

Netherlands international Quincy Promes has been sentenced to a six-year prison sentence in the Netherlands after being found guilty of smuggling no less than 1,361 kilos of cocaine into the country.

The Spartak Moscow player was previously threatened with a nine-year sentence but the court did not agree.

Nevertheless, the player is unlikely to serve his time but will have to remain in Russia, where he is hoping to obtain citizenship that would prevent him from being extradited to his homeland.

Promes was previously sentenced to 18 months behind bars after being fond guilty of stabbing his cousin, and the Netherlands international was again handed a hefty sentence on Wednesday.

According to the justice department, reports clearly show that Promes was involved in the import of two shipments of cocaine in 2020 and that he even had a managerial role and a role as a financier. The attacker was not present during the ruling of the case.

Promes and his co-suspect (and also his uncle) Marylio V. are suspected of involvement in the import of two shipments of cocaine, weighing 650 and 712 kilos respectively. They had to enter Europe via the port of Antwerp, but one of the two was intercepted.

Algemeen Dagblad previously quoted a message that Promes allegedly sent via an 'encrypted chat service': 'My entire profit was halved.'

However, Promes denies that he is involved in the import of the hard drugs and also that he is the sender of the above message.

Promes and the stabbing incident

The Spartak Moscow striker has the option to appeal, which he did when convicted for the stabbing.

During the investigation into Promes' alleged drug trafficking, the police tapped his telephone. In the tapped conversations, Promes spoke about an incident in which he was involved in a stabbing during a family party in Abcoude.

According to the conversations, the footballer allegedly stabbed his cousin in the knee with a knife.

A judge ruled that the charge of attempted murder or attempted manslaughter could not be proven in the case of the stabbing. Instead, it is classified as “aggravated assault”.

Although Promes allegedly shouted during and after the incident that he wanted to kill his cousin, there was insufficient evidence that he actually had that intention.

Promes has been under contract with Spartak Moscow since 2021, when he signed for €8.5m from Ajax.

The attacker has since been an important player at the Russian club and has already been involved in 12 goals in 17 games in the competition this season. The 32-year-old winger's contract expires after this season, making his future uncertain.

Given the outstanding prison sentence, there is little chance that Promes will ever work outside Russia.

The attacker hopes to obtain a Russian passport because Russia does not extradite citizens to the Netherlands.

Promes previously expressed that he felt very much at home in the country.

“In the way of life here, this city, the local culture. In the way people accept me, as if I have spent my whole life in Russia. I just feel at home here, not in a foreign country,” he said.