Promes on police radar as early as 2018 on suspicion of drug trafficking

Quincy Promes came under police scrutiny back in 2018 for alleged involvement in drug smuggling. The Criminal Intelligence Team then received information that the footballer had invested money in cocaine trafficking.

Specifically, the police could not do anything with this, but it then also became clear that the former Ajax player had contacts in the drug world, possibly possessed weapons and was in possession of a PGP phone that could be used to send encrypted messages. The police then obtained permission to tap his phone.

All this became clear today at the court in Amsterdam, where Promes is on trial for assaulting a cousin in 2020 and suspicion of involvement in drug trafficking.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Promes invested 200,000 euros in two consignments of cocaine that arrived at the port of Antwerp in late January 2020. Their value was about 75 million euros. Promes allegedly contacted the outliers via his PGP phone. These would not have known exactly where they were supposed to be.

One batch, hidden behind bags of salt, was intercepted by Belgian police. When he found out, Promes is said to have said, “Shit man. So half is safe, hazard of the trade”.

As police tapped Promes’ phone, suspicions also arose that he had stabbed a cousin in the knee at a family party in 2020. He allegedly incriminated himself in several phone calls shortly after the stabbing. Those calls were overheard by investigators.

The soccer player was not there today, as he was at previous sessions. He is in Russia, playing soccer for Spartak Moscow. The court will rule in the stabbing case on Monday, June 19. Promes does not have to be there himself. The prosecution demands a two-year prison sentence.

The cocaine smuggling case will continue on August 11. According to his lawyers, Promes does return to the Netherlands for the substantive hearing. He says he is innocent in this case.