Former Premier League defender Ronnie Stam was jailed for seven years after being convicted of drug smuggling. Stam, who appeared on Wigan Athletic 73 times and lifted the FA Cup in 2011, faces a heavy sentence after wanting to import 700kg of cocaine from Chile into the Netherlands.
The 41-year-old and some of his family were arrested on June 10, 2024, and the Dutch prosecutor’s office was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Although all of the claims could not be proven, Stam faces strong penalties and heavy fines after the court ruled that it had “a role in determining and adjusting the role of decision and adjustment in this.”
Stam was said to have been supported by his brother and also in contact with the Dubai transport owner.
The drug was scheduled to arrive in Rotterdam before being intercepted in Chile. The judge said, “They were just interested in making a lot of money.”
STAM is referred to as the name in the underworld in the Netherlands by its own prosecutor’s office.
He was initially charged with involvement in a surgery to smuggle more than 2,200 kg of cocaine into the Netherlands.
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In Breda Court, STAM was found guilty of trafficking of cocaine or more than 700kg, amounts of MDMA, and possession of nitrous oxide (laughing gas).
Stam acknowledged his involvement in a scheme to smuggle 20kg of cocaine from Brazil to the German city of Frankfurt, claiming he would be paid “worthy kilo.”
The prosecutors also alleged that the Dutch were responsible for laundering money to the value of £2.2 million.
However, he emphasized that Frankfurt’s plot was his only contribution, and shared his regret over his criminal conduct.
Both reportedly have to pay a fine of £25,871 and around £1.5 million in criminal proceeds must be confiscated.
He was an established Dutch footballer before a police investigation revealed Stam had become a serious crime.
He spent three years at Wigan after lifting Treble in his hometown as part of Steve McClallen’s FC Twente side in 2010.
Stam later played for Belgian club Standard Liege before returning to the Netherlands with Nac Breda, where he began his career. 14 years later, he retired in 2016.
