Monday, March 04, 2024 – Quincy Promes 'will not be extradited to the Netherlands' after his arrest in Dubai as he faces 6 years in jail for smuggling cocaine and for stabbing his cousin.
The Dutch footballer will reportedly not be extradited to
the Netherlands following his arrest at Dubai Airport despite the
Spartak Moscow forward facing a six-year prison sentence for drug
smuggling.
The former Ajax star was stopped at border control last
week and barred from travelling back with his Spartak team-mates to
Russia.
On February 14, a Dutch court sentenced Promes to six
years in prison for his involvement in smuggling over 1,350 kilos of
cocaine in Antwerp back in January 2020.
Back in June last year, the Dutchman was also sentenced to
18 months in prison for stabbing his cousin.
Despite initial reports, Promes, 32, was not detained in
Dubai in relation to those offences but because he left the scene of a traffic
accident during his stay in the United Arab Emirates.
According to Russian newspaper Sport Express, Promes
will avoid imprisonment for that offence and instead be fined.
They say he won't be returned to the Netherlands to face
punishment over the other offences and will reportedly return to Russia on
Tuesday.
Reports in Russia also suggested the Russian authorities had
intervened at a high level to secure Promes' return passage to the country.
He will be available to face Fakel in the Russian Premier
League this Sunday.
A statement from the Dutch Prosecutor's Office read: 'We
have informed the Dutch media that we have checked the reports of Promes'
arrest and learned from our contact person that Promes was arrested for a local
offence and not for crimes committed in the Netherlands.
'For now, we are not going to answer the question whether or
not we will request his extradition. That's it. We have not indicated that we
are negotiating [his extradition].'
Promes was charged last May over his alleged involvement in
smuggling the cocaine, which was intercepted in Antwerp in January 2020 in the
form of two batches of 650kg and 713kg each.
The Public Prosecution Service officially found Promes and a
32-year-old co-suspect, guilty of importing, exporting, transporting and
possessing the drugs.
It is alleged the cocaine was hidden in a shipment of sea
salt from Brazil, where the drugs were transported in two containers to
Antwerp.
According to NOS, the former Ajax winger failed to turn
up for the trial and, thus, never made a statement about the offences charged
against him.
Further reports suggested that the former Netherlands
international feels 'he's untouchable' - given the fact he avoided attending
the court dates.
According to the NL Times, prosecutors said: 'He seems
to think he is untouchable in Russia or abroad'.
When demanding the nine-year sentence, prosecutors alleged
that Promes 'normalises and almost romanticises the cocaine trade'.
Prosecutors claim Promes' wealth meant he had money to
invest and was one step higher on the organisational ladder as a result.
The stabbing, to his cousin's 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.
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