This soccer star has been handed a six-year prison sentence in absentia for trafficking cocaine. He’s still playing

He’s seemingly led an extraordinary double life. Quincy Promes is a successful soccer star, playing as forward with major European clubs Ajax and Sevilla and now Spartak Moscow, as well as representing the Netherlands at the international level.

Promes played 50 times for the Netherlands and, according to the respected website Transfermarkt, at one point in his career had a transfer value of $26 million.

Away from the pitch, Promes has recently been convicted for drug trafficking by an Amsterdam court. His conviction comes against the backdrop of the Netherlands’ wider war on drugs.

Earlier this month, Dutch prosecutors successfully argued that Promes was central to a drug trafficking operation involved in smuggling some 1,360 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil to the Netherlands through the port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2020, in two separate incidents.

“It is particularly bad that the suspect [Promes] normalizes and almost romanticizes the large-scale cocaine trade,” said Dutch prosecutors.

“The suspect profiles himself that way to the outside world, while he is an example for young people who look up to him,” the prosecutors added.

Promes was convicted in absentia to six years in prison for drug trafficking. It’s a sentence he won’t serve any time soon given given he lives in Russia, playing for Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow.

“The suspect maintained a managerial role and was a financier. He worked calculatedly, was careful and did not take too many risks. He did not get his own hands dirty. He let others do the dirty work,” said prosecutors earlier this month in the case.

Lawyers for Promes said he denied the charges, and would be appealing the sentence.

“We will further explain our grievances to the Court of Appeal during a yet to be scheduled public hearing,” said Promes’ lawyers in a statement.

“Finally, we would like to emphasize that as long as the judge’s verdict is not final, every suspect in the Netherlands must be presumed innocent. This also applies to Mr. Promes.”