A former Premier League star has been accused of smuggling two tons of coc@ine, with a street value of an incredible £48million.
Ronnie Stam, who played for Wigan and Twente appeared in court on Tuesday alongside his brother in Breda, the Netherlands where they stood accused of bringing in the drug illegally from South America in 2020 and 2021.
Should he be found guilty, the former defender could be hit with up to 13 years behind bars, as well as a fine of £1.5m.
Ronnie was arrested in June along with his parents, brother, and girlfriend and he has remained in custody ever since.
During the court hearing, prosecutors claimed that evidence of encrypted phone logs had been found between Ronnie and brother Rudi, evidencing drug shipments, with pictures also said to have been shared of cocaine.
The Sun reports that he informed the court his healthy bank balance was a direct result of his professional football career.
Stam is reported to have told the court he was an accomplice in the import of 20kg of cocaine to Germany from Brazil back in 2020, but is thought to have denied any further involvement or wrongdoing.
Stam played for Wigan between 2010 and 2013, and represented Twente and Standard Liege during his career as well as having two spells at NAC Breda. He won the FA Cup with Wigan in 2013 but didn’t feature in the final.
In September last year, a court in Breda heard that Stam was involved in trafficking 2,217 kilos of cocaine.
A prosecutor told 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 raided six homes and a camper van as part of the investigation. They found £85,000 in cash.
Police seized the money, three properties, a yacht, three cars, six luxury watches, and jewellery.