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Irish Independent
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
The curious case of Dutch international turned drug smuggler Quincy Promes
©UK Independent Quincy Promes has always been one for a watchlist. Once a common name in any Premier League transfer gossip column, the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal were said to be drawn to the electrifying attacking midfielder a decade or so ago, catching eyes as he stamped his mark as 'one to watch' during his Spartak Moscow days.
The Independent
24-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
The curious case of Dutch international turned drug smuggler Quincy Promes
Quincy Promes has always been one for a watchlist. Once a common name in any Premier League transfer gossip column, the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal were said to be drawn to the electrifying attacking midfielder a decade or so ago, catching eyes as he stamped his mark as 'one to watch' during his Spartak Moscow days. It was in the Russian capital where the Dutchman spent the biggest portion of his career – seven years in total across two stints. The first, between 2014 and 2018, was when his stock was highest. His sort of player – a speedy, explosive midfield force who can operate both down the middle and on the wing – was very fashionable. And with an impressive record of 66 goals and 34 assists in 135 games for Spartak, it was no wonder some of Europe's big-hitters were after him. Fast forward into the 2020s and Promes, approaching his thirties, was still being targeted – only this time, it was by the Dutch police. He was a footballer turned fugitive, on the run from his country's authorities on charges of aggravated assault and drug trafficking. It's taken until now, after years of pursuit, for Promes to finally be extradited for his long-awaited imprisonment. Promes was back in his homeland, playing with Dutch goliaths Ajax in 2020, when the gory details of his private life began to unravel in the public eye – his off-pitch notoriety skyrocketing. He was accused of stabbing his cousin at a family party in July of that year, a crime of soap-opera standard that stunned and stupefied the wider footballing world. He was detained in December before being released shortly after, pending investigation, during which Promes pleaded his innocence. But within just two months of being remanded in custody, the midfielder had moved out of the Netherlands entirely, opting to rejoin Spartak with his status as a free man under serious threat. With Promes in Moscow, prosecutors slapped him with the charge of attempted murder, later downgraded to aggravated assault. But as the trial rolled around in March 2023, there was no sign of him. He'd stayed put in Russia, ignoring his court date, something the Netherlands could do nothing about due to the lack of an extradition treaty with the country, off the back of their war with Ukraine. The Dutch court sentenced Promes to 18 months in absentia, meaning a jail cell awaited him if/when he decided to go home. He was seemingly unbothered by this, continuing to play his football at Spartak like nothing was happening – a second spell in Moscow that saw him bag 48 goals in 100 games to become the club's sixth-highest all-time scorer. However, the assault verdict was only the tip of his criminal iceberg. Much more seriously for him, he had also been charged with involvement in trafficking an obscene quantity of cocaine – 1,362kg to be exact – through the Belgian port of Antwerp, which possessed a street value of tens of millions of euros. Prosecutors argued that Promes wasn't simply a lone cog to the smuggling operation – he was instead central to it. The player again denied the allegations, but prosecutors said that Dutch police had been tapping his phone since 2018, where they collated proof of him allegedly communicating about large-scale drug trafficking through encrypted messaging platforms. The case raged on against the backdrop of increased links between football and organised crime in the Netherlands, a country now battling the wave of crime that comes with becoming a global epicentre for drug operations. The scandal surrounding Promes, a player who had 50 caps for his national team and competed at Euro 2020, was gripping the Dutch public. The trial came to a head at the beginning of 2024, once again made notable by Promes's lack of presence. 'He seems to think he is untouchable in Russia or abroad,' the prosecutor said during the trial. He was convicted and sentenced to six years' imprisonment in absentia – again appealed and denied by the player via his lawyers – which was soon followed by an urgent bulletin issued by the Netherlands via Interpol to alert other countries of his status as a wanted fugitive. At this time, Promes was in Dubai on a training camp with Spartak. No longer in the protective borders of Russia, the United Arab Emirates adhered to the red notice issued and took Promes into custody – he was caught by border control at Dubai International Airport just as he was intending to leave the country. However, UAE police communications were unclear, citing his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run car crash as the main reason for his arrest, with the notice seemingly a secondary factor. The UAE ended up granting Promes his release, reportedly under intense pressure from Russian officials, while he awaited trial for this latest traffic offence. This was instead of immediately returning him to the Netherlands – something that's admittedly easier said than done – meaning the Gulf state was yet to honour the extradition treaty between the two countries, which was signed in 2021. But with investigations ongoing in regards to the hit-and-run, he was forced to stay in the Middle East, where he continued to flaunt his extravagant life while on bond. His inability to leave the UAE nevertheless led to him being dropped by Spartak in the summer, having missed the second half of the Russian Premier League season entirely. The walls looked to be finally closing in on Promes – he was a fiercely wanted man in the Netherlands, served with two serious convictions, and was now without the refuge of Moscow. His international fugitive status didn't prevent him from finding a new club, though. He joined Dubai United in September 2024 on a one-year deal, where he would score 13 goals in 19 appearances. This move acted as the beginning of his final chapter on the run, and upon the expiry of his contract this month, with his services no longer to the benefit of Dubai, Promes made an extraordinary last-ditch plea to the Dutch authorities to try and save his skin. 'I'm not going to lie that I miss the Netherlands very much and would like to come back,' he told RTL Boulevard, expressing his willingness to finally cooperate and attend trial. The catch? To avoid being thrown into jail upon his return, continuing his career while the appeal process is ongoing. 'People have also often said that I am on the run, but I have been trying to get in touch with the justice department for some time to solve it,' he added. 'I want to answer for myself in the Netherlands and continue my career. And that I fly back and forth to the Netherlands a few times when I am called up and then I can just continue playing football. That is what I want.' Dutch prosecution previously refused to grant this request due to the lack of precedent in any similar case, meaning he would receive preferential treatment if they did spare him. His current lawyer, Cem Polat, filed such a request again, to no avail. And last week, shortly after the interview, Promes's luck finally ran out. He was arrested in Dubai following a request by the Dutch police, and on Friday was extradited back to his homeland - as confirmed by the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service - where he will serve a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for his combination of convictions. His appeal of both cases rages on, which could yet lead to a harsher sentence, with the prosecution recommending he serves nine years behind bars. But as that process continues, there will be no freedom for the ex-Ajax man. Once among the nation's top exports, Promes's inevitable demise into detention signals what is likely the end of the story for one of the game's bad eggs, a cautionary tale that makes you ponder how such a successful footballer can fall so deep into the world of crime.
News18
21-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
Former Ajax Winger Quincy Promes Extradited To Netherlands For 7.5-Year Prison Sentence
Last Updated: Arrested in Dubai, Promes denies all charges and is appealing against the initial ruling, which incriminates him on charges of drug trafficking and assault. Former Netherlands and Ajax winger Quincy Promes has been extradited to Holland to serve a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for drug trafficking and aggravated assault. A Dutch court sentenced Promes last year to six years in absentia for his involvement in two shipments of cocaine from Brazil through the port of Antwerp, Belgium, to the Netherlands in 2020. In 2023, Promes received an additional 18-month sentence in absentia for assault, related to a 2020 incident in which he stabbed a cousin in the knee. The 33-year-old was arrested in Dubai last week following a request from Dutch police. Promes denies all charges and has appealed both cases. Depending on the outcome, he will be eligible for parole as early as 2030. Promes, who has 50 caps for the Netherlands, was also arrested in Dubai in March last year at the request of the Dutch public prosecution service while attending a training camp with Spartak Moscow. Promes made his senior debut for Twente in 2009 and spent three years at the club before moving to Russian side Spartak Moscow. After four years in Moscow, he joined Sevilla in La Liga but returned to the Netherlands after one year to play for Ajax. He re-joined Spartak Moscow in 2021, staying for three more years before moving to Dubai United in 2024. (with agency inputs) First Published: June 21, 2025, 15:14 IST
New York Post
20-06-2025
- New York Post
Dutch soccer star facing prison time for cocaine smuggling extradited from Dubai
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch soccer player Quincy Promes was being extradited Friday from Dubai to the Netherlands, where he faces a prison sentence for involvement in cocaine smuggling, the prosecutor's office told The Associated Press. The Dutch public prosecution service confirmed to the AP that Promes was en route to the Netherlands, in Dutch custody. Promes, who scored seven goals in 50 international matches for the Netherlands before legal issues derailed his international career, was convicted last year of complicity in cocaine smuggling and sentenced in his absence to six years in prison. Advertisement 3 Quincy Promes celebrates during a September 2021 game. AFP via Getty Images 3 Quincy Promes reacts during a November 2021 game. Reuters Amsterdam District Court ruled that Promes was involved in the import and export of hundreds of kilograms (pounds) of cocaine in 2020. His lawyers told judges he denied the allegations. Advertisement In 2023, Promes was found guilty of stabbing his cousin in the leg and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. 3 Quincy Promes reacts during a May 2022 game. AFP via Getty Images Both of Promes' convictions are currently under appeal. Promes, a 33-year-old former player for Ajax and Sevilla, had been playing for Spartak Moscow and living in Russia from 2021 until last year, when he was reportedly arrested in Dubai around the time that Spartak was there for friendly games. More recently, he had been playing with United FC, a second-tier club in Dubai.
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Dutch footballer Quincy Promes 'extradited to the Netherlands to serve over SEVEN YEARS in prison' for drug trafficking and stabbing brother - but taxpayers 'have to pay for the flight!'
Dutch footballer Quincy Promes has reportedly been extradited back to the Netherlands to serve a seven-and-a-half year sentence for drug trafficking and aggravated assault. Promes has been playing his football in Dubai but was seized by the authorities after a request by the Dutch police. The former Ajax and Netherlands star, 33, was hit with a six-year jail sentence in February 2024 after being convicted of helping to smuggle cocaine into his homeland from Belgium in 2020. That followed an 18-month sentence for stabbing his cousin, but he has been absent from the Netherlands and therefore not served any time. Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reports that Promes begins his sentence in a detention centre after being flown back in a chartered plane. His plane cost almost £86,000 to the taxpayer after it was demeed there were 'safety risks' in putting him on a public flight. Premier League giants such as Liverpool and Arsenal were linked years ago with a move for Promes, who has won trophies in the Netherlands and Russia and earned 50 caps for his country. The earliest Promes will be released is in 2030 if his sentences are upheld wth parole, reports De Telegraaf. The Amsterdam court ruled last year that Promes had been directly involved in smuggling 1,360 kilograms of cocaine to the Netherlands or Belgium in two shipments in 2020. Promes denied the charges but the court found there was enough evidence from two eyewitnesses and intercepted phone conversations to hand down a prison term. Meanwhile, in the incident with his brother, the stabbing to the leg occurred at a family party at a warehouse in Abcoude after Promes got into an argument over a stolen necklace. He was playing in the Netherlands for Ajax at the time but moved to Spartak in February 2021. The judge criticised Promes, who is currently in Russia, for not coming to the court to defend himself or expressing any remorse. His sentence would have been six months less had he done so. Podcast All episodes Play on Apple Spotify The Dutch authorities have not been able to lock him up due to the fact he has been playing in Russia and Dubai until now. The Amsterdam-born forward played 50 times for the Dutch national team, scoring seven goals. Starting his career at Twente, he had a four-year stint with Spartak between 2014 and 2018 before signing for Spanish club Sevilla. From there, he spent a season-and-a-half with Ajax before returning to Spartak. He has scored 37 goals in 74 games for the club during his second spell. He joined second-tier Dubai United for last season and scored 19 goals in 20 appearances.
