*(CNN) — He’s seemingly led a rare double life. Quincy Promes is a profitable soccer star, taking part in as a ahead with main European golf equipment Ajax Sevilla and now Spartak Moscow, in addition to representing the Netherlands on the worldwide stage.
Promes performed 50 occasions for the Netherlands and, in accordance with the revered web site Transfermarkt, at one level in his profession had a switch worth of $26 million.
Away from the pitch, Promes has lately been convicted of drug trafficking by an Amsterdam courtroom. His conviction comes towards the backdrop of the Netherlands’ wider conflict on medication.
Earlier this month, Dutch prosecutors efficiently argued that Promes was central to a drug trafficking operation concerned in smuggling some 1,360 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil to the Netherlands via the port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2020, in two separate incidents.
“It’s notably unhealthy that the suspect [Promes] normalizes and virtually romanticizes the large-scale cocaine commerce,” mentioned Dutch prosecutors. “The suspect profiles himself that strategy to the skin world, whereas he’s an instance for younger individuals who look as much as him,” the prosecutors added.
Promes was convicted in absentia to 6 years in jail for drug trafficking. It’s a sentence he gained’t serve any time quickly given he lives in Russia, taking part in for Russian Premier League aspect Spartak Moscow.
“The suspect maintained a managerial position and was a financier. He labored calculatedly, was cautious, and didn’t take too many dangers. He didn’t get his personal arms soiled. He let others do the soiled work,” mentioned prosecutors earlier this month within the case. Legal professionals for Promes mentioned he denied the costs and can be interesting the sentence.
“We’ll additional clarify our grievances to the Courtroom of Enchantment throughout a yet-to-be-scheduled public listening to,” mentioned Promes’ attorneys in a press release.
“Lastly, we wish to emphasize that so long as the choose’s verdict shouldn’t be ultimate, each suspect within the Netherlands have to be presumed harmless. This additionally applies to Mr. Promes.”
Final yr, Promes was convicted in absentia for stabbing his cousin within the knee, Reuters reported and was sentenced to 18 months in jail, in accordance with prosecutors.
Promes’ contract with Spartak Moscow runs till the top of June 2024, in accordance with Transfermarkt. The Russian membership didn’t reply to CNN’s request for remark as as to whether it’s going to proceed to play Promes in matches or prolong his contract.
Criminologist Hans Nelen advised CNN that Promes’ case is “exceptional … From the skin, many individuals are inclined to say: ‘He’ll earn thousands and thousands of euros a yr…. Why [is he] concerned within the drug commerce to start with?’”
A professor of criminology at Maastricht College, Nelen says most of the people’s response to Promes’ state of affairs was one in every of frustration.
“That he’s out and he can’t be arrested after which he can’t be put in jail, and remains to be taking part in soccer,” he mentioned.
In keeping with Nelen, Promes posting images on social media in costly vehicles, sporting diamond-encrusted jewellery, and on luxurious holidays to locations like Dubai, isn’t an important search for the Dutch public.
“He’s nonetheless placing posts on social media, and he’s pretending that he’s untouchable,” added Nelen.
CNN has contacted representatives for Promes, providing the soccer participant the chance to touch upon his latest courtroom case, however hadn’t acquired a reply on the time of publication.
‘Felony tradition of violence’
Earlier this yr, Femke Halsema, the mayor of Amsterdam, warned that Rotterdam – Europe’s largest port – has turn into a “international transit hub for cocaine,” with greater than 22,000 kg of the drug seized within the first half of 2022 in contrast with 29,702 kg within the first half of 2023 despite authorities’ efforts to tackle trafficking. Dutch Customs seized virtually 60,000 kg of cocaine in 2023, the Dutch authorities reported.
Halsema, together with the mayor of Rotterdam, mentioned that extra have to be carried out to handle drug crime, warning in a 2022 letter to the Home of Representatives of “a prison tradition of violence” gripping the nation.
The nation’s Multidisciplinary Intervention Staff was rebranded that very same yr because the Nationwide Alliance towards Subversive Crime (NASC), with its mission “to reveal and untangle the monetary and different interconnectedness of the underworld and mainstream society,” in accordance with the Dutch authorities.
Concern over drug-related crime within the Netherlands has risen lately. In 2021, Dutch crime journalist Peter R. de Vries, identified for his investigative work exposing the prison underworld, was gunned down on a busy central Amsterdam avenue.
“We can’t deny that the drug commerce and drug trafficking, basically, has turn into an enormous challenge over the past decade,” mentioned Nelen, although the criminologist provides that “when you consider employment between the drug financial system and the legit financial system, corruption and political influences, I might say that’s quite restricted.”
“It’s not such a case like Mexico or Columbia or to a sure extent Italy, that by some means our legit financial system or political system has been fully infiltrated by criminals,” he defined.
Nonetheless, the Netherlands is a key vacation spot for drug traffickers as a result of it’s dwelling to a number of giant ports and borders Germany and Belgium, so it’s a “gateway to Europe,” in accordance with Nelen.
Although Promes’ conviction is definitely one of many highest-profile circumstances within the nation lately, Nelen mentioned that the Netherlands has seen different attention-grabbing circumstances of celebrities’ involvement within the unlawful medication commerce, together with martial arts professionals and kickboxers.
Dutchman David Endt, who has labored as a journalist and with Dutch golf equipment in organizational roles and is now a soccer agent, advised CNN that he knew a really totally different Promes within the early phases of his soccer profession.
“There was a really nice man there, at all times – huge chortle on his face, did no person actually any hurt, and abruptly [he] got here right into a spiral after which it goes down and down,” mentioned Endt, including that he hasn’t had contact with Promes for greater than 10 years.
“The issue with being immediately well-known … It’s onerous to make the best selections with so-called pals, you appeal to lots of people who’ve unhealthy intentions,” added Endt.
And Dutch soccer golf equipment appear to be taking discover.
“Some soccer golf equipment are actually conscious of this and utilizing retired law enforcement officials or different coaches to speak to children who’re already 14, 15, 16 years previous, who’re very gifted, to warn them of a number of the risks and a number of the dangers which will come throughout. So there are certainly preventative measures taken by a number of the golf equipment,” Nelen provides.
Endt, who labored with Ajax in an organizational position for 20 years, advised CNN: “After some incidents, smaller ones, greater ones, we bought assist from law enforcement officials, who typically got here to the membership and so they defined the issues younger gamers, or possibly additionally older gamers can meet, particularly on this social media world.”
CNN has reached out to Ajax for additional remark.
The youth growth system for soccer gamers within the Netherlands is spectacular, in accordance with Endt.
“There’s additionally at all times consideration to pay attention to your tasks not solely to your self, or your teammates but in addition in view of the world round you, that you need to behave properly, {that a} good participant can be an instance in life. However not all people is following this, clearly.”
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