Former Ajax and Dutch international winger, Quincy Promes, who was convicted of smuggling over a tonne of cocaine, has been arrested in Dubai.
This comes two weeks after he was sentenced to six years in the Netherlands. The arrest was confirmed by Dutch prosecutors on Friday, stating that it was related to an offence allegedly committed in Dubai, and not due to a Dutch extradition request.
“We have verified the media reports about Promes’ arrest,” said Franklin Wattimena, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office.
“We understand from our contact person there that Promes was arrested for a local offence and not for the Dutch case,” Wattimena said in an email to AFP.
“We will not comment at this time on whether we will request his extradition or not,” Wattimena added.
Former Ajax and Dutch international winger Quincy Promes, who was convicted of smuggling over a tonne of cocaine, has been apprehended in Dubai. This arrest comes two weeks after a Dutch court sentenced him to six years in prison.
The Dutch prosecutors have confirmed the arrest, clarifying that it was for an alleged offence committed in Dubai and not due to a Dutch extradition request. However, Dutch media reports suggest that discussions were underway between Dutch prosecutors and the United Arab Emirates regarding Promes’ detention.
According to Russian media, Promes was arrested for leaving the scene of a traffic accident in Dubai. The 32-year-old footballer, currently playing for Spartak Moscow, was reportedly detained at the airport as his team was departing after a training camp.
Previous attempts to extradite him from Moscow have been unsuccessful, and an arrest warrant has been issued by the Amsterdam District Court following his sentencing on February 14. The court found Promes guilty of smuggling 1,363 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil to the Netherlands in 2020, with the assistance of an accomplice, using the Belgian port of Antwerp.
The drugs were concealed in bags of salt within containers on a ship, which were partially intercepted by customs officials. In a separate case, Promes had already been sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to compensate his cousin for stabbing him over a stolen necklace.
Promes, who earned 50 caps for the Netherlands and scored seven goals, was also part of the team that was eliminated by the Czech Republic in the last 16 of the Euro 2020 championships, which took place in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
