Spartak forward was sentenced to six years in prison for cocaine smuggling

Spartak Moscow forward Quincy Promes was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday. An Amsterdam court found the Dutch football player guilty of smuggling a large shipment of cocaine, more than 1,300 kg. This is not the first time that Quincy Promes has received a prison term. Last summer he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stabbing his own cousin. None of the sentences have yet entered into force. The one announced on Wednesday will likely be protested. The appeal hearing in the stabbing case will begin on February 20.

Spartak Moscow forward Quincy Promes received another prison sentence on Wednesday. An Amsterdam court found him guilty of organizing drug smuggling and sentenced him to six years in prison, while the prosecution had requested nine years.

The case against Promes was opened in 2020.

The football player was charged with active, even leading participation in organizing the illegal import of two shipments of cocaine through the port of Antwerp – 650 and 712 kg (they were hidden in packs of table salt). The first part of the cargo, as follows from the information presented during the trial, the criminals managed to unload from the ship and move it to the port hangar. But the second one (from the same ship) has already been intercepted by law enforcement agencies.

Obviously, interceptions of contraband on such a scale do not happen without preliminary operational development of suspects. During the trial, it became known that Promes had been under surveillance for a long time. In particular, the court was presented with printouts of his negotiations with an accomplice who was involved in the case under the name Marylio V. and is Promes’ uncle.

In conversations, relatives discussed the progress of preparations for the delivery of cocaine and how to pay the direct perpetrators.

The mentioned Marillo Vi partially admitted his guilt, but stated that he only took part in the search for premises for storing contraband. He did not testify against Promes.

It was also stated in court that Quincy Promes is associated with drug dealer Siegfried (Piet) Wartel (he, like Promes himself, is a Dutchman of Surinamese origin). The court was presented with data from the wiretapping of conversations between Promes and Siegfried Wartel. It followed from them that the interlocutors were partners in criminal business, and also that Promes had long been involved in drug smuggling. In particular, he told Wartel that only half of his last delivery reached its goal, which means his profit was halved.

The prosecution also presented to the court information according to which Promes paid Wartel €250 thousand in compensation for the lost shipment of drugs (presumably, it was intercepted by a rival group). From this, the prosecutor’s office concluded that Quincy Promes was not just a participant in a criminal conspiracy, but had a leading influence in the group, and requested nine years in prison for him. The court apparently cut the prosecutor’s requests by a third.

It cannot be ruled out that the court would have settled on a more lenient punishment if Quincy Promes had not actively avoided Dutch justice – he has not been in the Netherlands since February 2021. The court decision notes that Promes did not appear in court, made all statements only through his lawyers and did not admit guilt. It is also noted that he failed to cite mitigating circumstances that the court could take into account. The court rejected the defense’s claims that Promes could not stand trial due to certain special obligations to his employer.

The court found that Promes had committed a serious crime, noting that the motive for his actions, despite the fact that he is a professional football player and earns good money, was the thirst for profit.

This is the second verdict against Promes in the last nine months. On June 19, 2023, an Amsterdam court sentenced him to 18 months in prison for an episode that also took place in 2020. Then Promes, at one of the family events, suspected his cousin Esayas of stealing jewelry worth €3 thousand from his aunt. The showdown ended with Promes stabbing a relative in the leg. Promes did not agree with the verdict and filed an appeal. Its consideration will begin on February 20.

The new verdict will also be appealed. This is stated in a statement from Spartak. “The Promes side informs us about the progress of the process. This is not a final decision, there will be an appeal,” the club noted. At the moment, Quincy Promes is in the UAE, where he is training with the team before the resumption of the Russian Premier League (RPL).

Alexander Petrov