Ex-Dutch international Promes arrested in Dubai

Convicted former Ajax and Dutch international winger Quincy Promes has been arrested in Dubai, two weeks after a court in the Netherlands sentenced him to six years for smuggling more than a tonne of cocaine.

Dutch prosecutors confirmed the arrest on Friday, but said it was for an alleged offense committed in the United Arab Emirates city and not on a Dutch request for extradition.

“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 offense 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.

Dutch public newscaster NOS however reported that Dutch prosecutors “were in talks with the UAE” about the Promes detention.

Quoting Russian media, the NOS said Promes was arrested for leaving the scene of a traffic accident in Dubai.

The 32-year-old, now playing for Spartak Moscow, was believed to have been arrested at the airport as his club was flying out after a training camp.

Previous attempts to extradite him from Moscow have failed and judges at the Amsterdam District Court have issued a warrant for his arrest after he was sentenced on February 14.

The court said Promes had smuggled a total of 1,363 kilogrammes of cocaine from Brazil in 2020, through the Belgian port of Antwerp into the Netherlands with the help of an accomplice.

The drugs haul was stashed in bags of salt in containers on board a ship — later partially intercepted by customs officials.

In a separate case, Promes had already been sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay compensation for stabbing his cousin over a stolen necklace.

Promes won 50 caps for the Netherlands, scoring seven goals, and was part of the side that lost to the Czech Republic in the last 16 of the Euro 2020 championships, which was played in 2021 due to Covid.

He has not worn the orange jersey since.

In 2019, Promes joined Dutch giants Ajax in Amsterdam, after a 15-million-euro transfer from Spanish La Liga outfit Sevilla. 

In 2021, he left the Dutch capital for Moscow and has played for Spartak ever since, following a previous stint from 2014-2018, during which he was named Russia’s footballer of the year.