Former Ajax and Netherlands international was convicted of helping smuggle over a TONNE of cocaine from Brazil and knifing relative in knee
DISGRACED Dutch footballer Quincy Promes has been extradited from Dubai to the Netherlands to begin serving a combined seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for cocaine smuggling and stabbing his cousin.
The former Ajax and Sevilla winger was flown back to his homeland in Dutch custody on Friday after his arrest in the UAE, where he had been playing for second-tier club United FC while on the run from justice.
The 33-year-old faces six years behind bars for helping smuggle a staggering 1,363 kilograms (3,000 pounds) of cocaine from Brazil, plus an additional 18 months for knifing his cousin in the leg during a family dispute.
FROM INTERNATIONAL STAR TO INTERNATIONAL FUGITIVE
Promes, who scored seven goals in 50 appearances for the Netherlands national team, saw his once-promising career derailed by his involvement in international drug trafficking and violent crime.
The Dutch public prosecution service confirmed to the Associated Press that the fallen star was en route to the Netherlands in custody, where he will be transferred to a pre-trial detention center to begin serving his sentence.
Amsterdam District Court ruled that Promes was involved in the import and export of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in 2020, sentencing him in absentia to six years in prison in February 2024.
STABBED COUSIN OVER STOLEN NECKLACE
In a separate case that shocked the football world, Promes was convicted in 2023 of stabbing his cousin in the leg during a dispute over a stolen necklace.
The violent family feud resulted in an 18-month prison sentence and an order to pay compensation to his wounded relative.
Both convictions are currently under appeal, though Promes will serve his sentences while the legal process continues.
ARRESTED IN DUBAI
The former winger had been living in Russia since 2021, playing for Spartak Moscow in an apparent attempt to avoid Dutch justice.
However, he was reportedly arrested in Dubai in March 2024 when Spartak was in the UAE for friendly matches, though Dutch prosecutors said this initial arrest was for a local offense unrelated to his cases in the Netherlands.
Most recently, he had been playing with United FC, a second-tier club in Dubai, while fighting extradition proceedings.
OVER A TONNE OF COCAINE
The scale of Promes’ involvement in drug trafficking shocked even hardened prosecutors.
The court found him guilty of helping to smuggle an astonishing 1,363 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil in 2020 – worth tens of millions on the street.
The massive drug haul was part of what prosecutors described as a sophisticated international smuggling operation.
CAREER IN RUINS
Once considered one of the Netherlands’ most exciting attacking talents, Promes enjoyed successful spells at Ajax and Sevilla before his legal troubles began.
The pacey winger was a regular in the Dutch national team setup, earning 50 caps and scoring seven goals for his country before his international career was terminated by his criminal activities.
His move to Spartak Moscow in 2021 now appears to have been motivated as much by a desire to escape Dutch justice as by sporting ambitions.
DENIES ALL CHARGES
Despite overwhelming evidence leading to his convictions, Promes continues to deny all charges against him.
The footballer has filed appeals in both the cocaine smuggling and stabbing cases, though he will serve his sentences while these appeals are processed through the Dutch legal system.
ROYAL MILITARY POLICE ESCORT
Promes was accompanied on his flight back to the Netherlands by members of the Royal Military Police, underlining the seriousness with which Dutch authorities viewed his capture.
Upon landing, he was immediately transferred to a pre-trial detention center where he will begin serving his combined 7.5-year sentence.
FROM PITCH TO PRISON
The dramatic fall from grace of Quincy Promes serves as a stark warning about the consequences of involvement in organized crime.
From scoring goals for the Netherlands and playing in Europe’s top leagues to facing nearly a decade behind bars for drug trafficking and violent assault, his story represents one of football’s most spectacular career implosions.
As he begins his lengthy prison sentence, the man who once dazzled crowds with his pace and skill will instead spend years confined to a Dutch jail cell, his promising career destroyed by his own criminal choices.
Ailura. “Quincy Promes with the Netherlands national team during Austria vs Netherlands (ÖFB Länderspiel).”Photo taken on 4 June 2016 at 20:25:42 in Vienna, Austria, during the international friendly match Austria vs Netherlands. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution‑ShareAlike 3.0 Austria (CC BY‑SA 3.0 AT)(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by‑sa/3.0/at/deed.en).
