Quincy Promes, the former Ajax and Netherlands international winger, has been extradited from the United Arab Emirates to the Netherlands to serve a 7.5-year prison sentence. The sentence stems from convictions for drug trafficking and aggravated assault. The Dutch authorities had been seeking Promes's arrest for over a year following his criminal convictions in 2023 and 2024.
Promes's legal troubles began with a stabbing incident in July 2020, where he stabbed his cousin in the knee during a family gathering. In 2023, he was sentenced in absentia to 18 months in prison for the assault. Later, in February 2024, a Dutch court convicted him in absentia for his role in smuggling over a tonne of cocaine into the Netherlands from Belgium in 2020. He received a six-year prison sentence for the drug trafficking offense. The court determined, based on phone-tapping evidence, that Promes was directly involved with the cocaine shipments, which were concealed within shipments of salt from Brazil.
At the time of the convictions, Promes was playing in Russia for Spartak Moscow and did not attend the trials in the Netherlands. Instead of returning to the Netherlands to serve his sentence, he moved to the UAE. He was subsequently arrested in Dubai in March 2024 at the request of the Dutch authorities but was later released with restrictions, including a travel ban. Despite these restrictions, Promes signed with Dubai United, a second-tier club in Dubai, where he continued to play until his recent arrest and extradition.
Prior to his legal troubles, Promes had a successful football career. He played for several prominent clubs, including Ajax, Sevilla, and Spartak Moscow. He also earned 50 caps for the Netherlands national team, scoring seven goals. However, his international career was cut short after he was charged in 2021.
Promes has consistently denied all charges against him and has filed appeals in both the assault and drug trafficking cases. In May 2025, Promes and his lawyer requested a plea deal with the Dutch public prosecutor's office, but it was rejected.
Following his extradition, Promes was immediately taken to a prison center in the Netherlands to begin serving his sentence. The Dutch judiciary arranged for his return on a private chartered jet to avoid public exposure and security issues.