THE HAGUE: A Dutch court sentenced former Ajax and international winger Quincy Promes to six years in prison Wednesday, convicting him of smuggling more than one thousand kilogrammes of cocaine.
The 32-year-old, now playing for Spartak Moscow, was not in court to hear the sentence, a spokesperson told AFP.
Previous attempts to extradite him from Moscow have failed.
Summing up in court, presiding judge M. Vaandrager said Promes was an example to many, especially young people, due to his footballing talent.
“The suspect is regularly in the news, is active on social media, and has fans worldwide,” the judge said.
“This makes it even worse that he has tried to increase his wealth... by participating in major international drugs trafficking.”
“All things considered, the court finds a six-year prison sentence appropriate,” it said in a statement.
The court said Promes had smuggled a total of 1,363 kilogrammes of cocaine from Brazil in 2020, through the Belgian port of Antwerp into The Netherlands with the help of an accomplice.
The ruling was based on wire-tapped conversations and encrypted messages Promes had sent under the pseudonym “Fantasma.”
Prosecutors had called for a nine-year jail sentence but the court ruled they had based their request on previous cases where the punishment was too harsh.
Lawyers for Promes had entered a plea of not guilty.
In a separate case, Promes had already been sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay compensation for stabbing his cousin over a stolen necklace.
Promes won 50 caps for the Netherlands, scoring seven goals, and was part of the side that lost to the Czech Republic in the Last 16 match at the Euro 2020 championships, which was played in 2021 due to Covid.
He has not worn the orange jersey since.
In 2019, Promes joined Dutch giants Ajax in Amsterdam, after a 15-million-euro transfer from Spanish La Liga outfit Sevilla.
In 2021, he left the Dutch capital for Moscow and has played for Spartak ever since, following a previous stint from 2014-2018, during which he was named Russia’s footballer of the year.
Ex-Dutch international gets six years for coke smuggling
https://arab.news/c9bbb
Ex-Dutch international gets six years for coke smuggling
- The 32-year-old, now playing for Spartak Moscow, was not in court to hear the sentence
- Presiding judge M. Vaandrager said Promes was an example to many, especially young people, due to his footballing talent
Al-Ahli topple Al-Ittihad in Sea Derby as late Al-Hilal rout sees off Al-Najma
- Al-Ahli defeat rivals Al-Ittihad 3-1 in thrilling derby at Al-Inma Stadium
- Al-Hilal struggle against Al-Najma but three goals in final 10 minutes leads them to 4-0 victory
JEDDAH: The Saudi Pro League title race showed no signs of slowing on Friday as Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal played simultaneously in search of staying within touching distance of league leaders Al-Nassr, who play on Saturday.
While Al-Hilal took on Al-Najma, Al-Ahli’s weekend was about more than just three points. Waiting for them at Al-Inma Stadium were city rivals and defending champions Al-Ittihad.
For Al-Ittihad, this fixture was largely about pride. Their title defence has all but come to an end, with 19 points separating them and the summit heading into the Sea Derby.
Yet as shown in their 1-1 draw weeks prior against Al-Hilal while playing with a man down, Al-Ittihad tend to rise to the occasion in the bigger games regardless of their position on the table.
Al-Ahli did take control of proceedings through their high press, but the Tigers responded with confidence and urgency. A difficult season does not mean allowing your archrivals to take three points with ease, after all.
Matthias Jaissle, however, has converted Al-Ahli into one of the league’s most cohesive sides over the past three years. Some would even argue that despite never holding first place this season, they have indeed been the best team in the league.
That showed in the 23rd minute. Galeno was released into the space behind Muhannad Al-Shanqiti before delivering a low cross to Ivan Toney, who continued his prolific campaign with his 24th goal of the season.
Calls for a VAR review followed, as Houssem Aouar was brought down in the box prior to the goal. Referee Nikola Dabanovic ruled there was no infringement, and Al-Ahli led 1-0.
Al-Ittihad emerged after the interval with renewed vigour. Steven Bergwijn calmly held Zakaria Hawsawi on the edge of the box, tempting him into a foul that Dabanovic judged worthy of a penalty.
Fabinho stepped up and powered the ball past Edouard Mendy to equalise for The Tigers in the 51st minute. For a brief moment, there was hope. If Al-Ittihad could derail Al-Ahli’s title push and go on to win the AFC Champions League Elite later this season, this match could yet prove significant.
Those hopes lasted less than 10 minutes. Al-Ahli’s trademark pass into the channel released Galeno once again, and his low cross rolled across the face of goal to Riyad Mahrez.
The Algerian — who had repeatedly troubled the defence with his movement inside — made no mistake this time, restoring the hosts’ lead in the 59th minute.
Al-Ittihad came close on several occasions, but the match rarely felt out of Al-Ahli’s control for long. Their relentless press ultimately sealed the result when substitute Feras Al-Brikan disposessed Predrag Rajkovic and slotted home into an open net in the 84th minute.
Al-Hilal, meanwhile, endured a far more difficult night against bottom-placed Al-Najma. A glance at the scoreline suggests total dominance for Al-Hilal, but the reality was quite different.
Make no mistake, Al-Hilal created several openings, yet repeatedly lacked the decisive final touch. Salem Al-Dawsari’s decision to square the ball to Karim Benzema while through on goal summed up their struggles in front of the net.
It wasn’t until Nasser Al-Haleel received a red card in the 39th minute for pulling down Al-Dawsari as the last defender that Al-Hilal began to shift gears.
Four minutes later, Al-Dawsari made amends for his earlier mistake by setting up Benzema for first goal at Kingdom Arena.
Even with the numerical advantage, Al-Hilal produced one of their least convincing performances of the season. Fortunately for them, Al-Najma offered little attacking threat, registering just one shot across the 90 minutes.
They eventually collapsed in the final 10 minutes, as Benzema, Malcom and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic all scored within a six-minute spell, lifting Al-Hilal’s goal difference to +43 — a vital factor in a tital race where Al-Nassr sit on +46.
The victories move Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal to 62 and 61 points respectively, with Al-Nassr sandwiched between them on 61 ahead of their clash against NEOM.
Elsewhere, Al-Taawoun defeated Al-Fateh 3-2 in a match that saw the visitors mount a late rally but ultimately fall short of completing the comeback. Meanwhile, Greek duo Giorgos Masouras and Kostas Fortounis both found the net as Al-Khaleej secured a 2-1 victory over Al-Hazem.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Saturday, with four clashes kicking off at 10:00pm. Al-Ettifaq host Al-Shabab, Al-Kholood take on Al-Qadsiah, Al-Okhdood welcome Al-Fayha, and Al-Nassr aim to maintain their spot at the top against NEOM.
