MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. A court in Amsterdam sentenced Dutch-born forward Quincy Promes of the Russian Premier League’s Spartak Moscow Football Club to six years in prison after finding him guilty of drug smuggling, Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported on Wednesday.

The prosecution initially asked for nine years behind bars for Promes, who was absent during the trial as he was at Spartak’s training camp in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the investigation, Promes, who plays striker for Spartak Moscow, was directly involved in the cross-border smuggling of two batches of cocaine seized at an airport in Antwerp, Belgium in 2020. The combined weight of the two seized batches was more than 1,360 kilograms (almost 3,000 lbs).

In an unrelated case, on June 19, 2023 a court in Amsterdam sentenced Promes in absentia to 18 months in jail for assaulting his cousin. The footballer was found guilty of stabbing his cousin with a knife during a family get-together in 2020. Promes’ lawyers appealed the verdict, but it was rejected by the court on February 6.

Promes, 32, joined Spartak Moscow FC in 2014 and, according to official statistics, the forward has netted 114 goals in his 235 match appearances with the legendary Russian football club. The footballer was the runner-up for best striker in the RPL’s 2022/2023 season having scored 20 goals in 27 matches.

Throughout its 101-year history, Spartak Moscow FC has been a 12-time USSR champion and ten-time champion of Russia. The team is the winner of numerous other awards and trophies.