A former Premier League footballer has been charged with trafficking two tons of coc@ine, valued at an astonishing £48million on the street.
Ronnie Stam, who played for Wigan and Twente, appeared in court on Tuesday alongside his brother in Breda, Netherlands, where they faced allegations of illegally importing the drug from South America in 2020 and 2021.
If convicted, the former defender could face up to 13 years in prison and a fine of £1.5m.
Ronnie was detained in June along with his parents, brother, and girlfriend, and he has remained in custody since that time.
At the court hearing, prosecutors alleged that encrypted phone logs were discovered between Ronnie and his brother Rudi, showing evidence of drug shipments, with images reportedly shared of cocaine.
The Sun reports that he told the court his substantial bank balance was entirely due to his professional football career.
Stam is said to have admitted to the court that he was involved in importing 20kg of cocaine to Germany from Brazil in 2020, but he is believed to have denied any further involvement or wrongdoing.
Stam played for Wigan from 2010 to 2013 and also represented Twente and Standard Liege during his career, as well as having two stints at NAC Breda. He won the FA Cup with Wigan in 2013 but did not play in the final.
In September last year, a court in Breda was told that Stam was implicated in trafficking 2,217 kilos of cocaine.
A prosecutor stated at the hearing: ‘This case concerns hundreds of kilos of cocaine each time. I contend that Stam was a major player in the drugs world.’
In June, police searched six homes and a camper van as part of the investigation, uncovering £85,000 in cash.
Authorities confiscated the money, three properties, a yacht, three cars, six luxury watches, and jewellery.
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