Ex-Netherlands international Quincy Promes sentenced to six years in prison for drug trafficking

He was not present in court but was instead in Moscow where he plays for Spartak Moscow

Former Netherlands international Quincy Promes was sentenced to six years in prison by a Dutch court on Wednesday for his involvement in an incident of drug smuggling.

Prosecutors charged him in May of last year in relation to the case, which is focused on the smuggling of two shipments of cocaine in January 2020. Nearly 3,000 pounds of cocaine were shipped to the Belgian port city of Antwerp and were intercepted by Belgian police.

Prosecutors in the case asked for a nine-year prison sentence, but judge M. Vaandrager insisted that Promes' punishment was still harsh and would set an example.

"The suspect is regularly in the news, is active on social media and has fans worldwide," the judge said, per The Athletic. "Not only his sporting achievements but also the wealth he flaunts, make him an example for many and -- as the court assumes -- especially for young people. This makes it even more objectionable that the suspect tries to increase his wealth through involvement in large international drug transports."

Promes was not present but was in Moscow, where he currently plays for Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow. It is currently unclear whether or not the sentencing impacts his standing with the club, where he is on contract until June.

In a separate case, Promes was sentenced to 18 months in prison last June for stabbing his cousin at a family gathering near Amsterdam three years earlier but he has yet to serve that sentence. He has been in Russia for much of the time since last year's sentencing and has played 21 games for Spartak this season while doing so.

Promes was once a regular member of the Netherlands national team and has 50 caps. He notably played for Sevilla and Ajax before joining Spartak in 2021 for his second spell with the Russian club.