Ronnie Stam (right) playing for Wigan against Arsenal in the Premier League at the DW Stadium, Wigan on 22/12/2012. Photo: AFP

Ronnie Stam (right) playing for Wigan against Arsenal in the Premier League at the DW Stadium, Wigan on 22/12/2012. Photo: AFP

For over a year, Ronnie Stam sat within the 6-meter walls of Middelburg prison in Zeeland, Netherlands, near the North Sea. The prison is over an hour’s drive from the court in Breda. "The trips from prison to court are awful," he complained to the judge during his most recent appearance 4 months ago. That, according to Stam, would be his last court appearance. In the Netherlands, defendants can sometimes choose whether or not to appear in court.

On 13/8, Stam’s sentencing proceeded without him in the courtroom. The former premier league defender remained in his cell, 96 km away, as he received a 7-year sentence for his involvement in an international drug trafficking ring. Stam, a former Dutch league champion who spent three years playing for Wigan Athletic in England, was accused of participating in a criminal organization that planned to smuggle over two tons (2,217 kg) of cocaine, with an estimated street value of 65.7 million USD. While the judge acquitted Stam of two major charges, he was convicted of trafficking 724 kg of cocaine. According to the prosecutor, Stam was "not only a big player on the field but also a big player in the drug world."

The court found Stam guilty of importing 20 kg of cocaine into the Netherlands, conspiring to import 700 kg of cocaine from Chile, laundering 3 million USD, planning to export 4 kg of cocaine from Brazil and 5 kg of MDMA from Paris, and possessing 18 liters of nitrous oxide – also known as “laughing gas” – discovered during a police raid at his home in Eindhoven.

What led a former professional footballer, with a 14-year career spanning the Netherlands, England, and Belgium, into the world of serious crime? According to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service, in this case, it appears to be a combination of desperation, greed, and a desire for respect.

In an earlier hearing, the prosecutor described Stam as a leading figure in Dutch criminal circles and requested a 13-year sentence. "A ridiculous request," Stam retorted. "Is it because I used to be good at football?"

Stam played for Wigan under manager Roberto Martinez, experiencing the club's most glorious moment when they defeated Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup final. Unfortunately, he missed the final due to a broken leg sustained in a previous match. At the time, many sympathized with the player who had helped Steve McClaren’s Twente win the Dutch league title in the 2009-2010 season.

Since his arrest on 10/6/2024, the complex picture of Stam’s life has gradually emerged. The court heard that he struggled with gambling, nitrous oxide addiction, mounting debts, and even received death threats over money owed to organized crime. Stam testified that gangs pursued him even after he left his hometown for Eindhoven, 64 km away. They fired shots at his house and appeared at a PSV youth team match where his son was playing. "They threatened me in the stands during my son's game," Stam told the court, "and even threw a grenade at my house."

9 years after his last professional game, Stam appeared fit when escorted from prison to court this year. He made 73 appearances for Wigan before moving to Standard Liege in Belgium and then returning to the Netherlands to play for NAC Breda, the club where he began his career. Stam was also called up to the Dutch national team for a friendly against Ukraine in 2010, just weeks after the Netherlands, featuring Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, and Wesley Sneijder, lost to Spain in the 2010 World Cup final. However, he withdrew due to injury and never received another international call-up.

15 years later, the flowing blond hair once held back by a headband is now short and graying. Standing in the dock, wearing jeans and sneakers, Stam listened intently to the charges and filled several pages of A4 paper with notes. When questioned about details related to the drug charges, he explained: "Some of this happened 6 years ago. I inhaled a lot of laughing gas, and I don't remember everything exactly. I don't want to say anything wrong."

Stam played for the youth teams of NAC Breda and Feyenoord before starting his professional career with NAC Breda in 2002. The right-back later played for Twente, Wigan in England, and Standard Liege in Belgium, winning two titles: the Dutch league with Twente in 2009-2010 and the FA Cup with Wigan in 2013.

Initially, Stam was reluctant to testify, citing safety concerns for himself and his children. However, his lawyer, Michel van Stratum, occasionally had to stop him from saying too much. Stam only began to testify after being assured that his statements would not be recorded or made public. "Once your voice is recorded, it never disappears from the internet," Van Stratum explained.

Reassured, Stam admitted to participating in a plot to smuggle 20 kg of cocaine from Brazil to Frankfurt, Germany. According to Stam, his compensation was "an amount equivalent to the value of one kg of cocaine." He insisted that was the extent of his involvement. "I'm not a big player in the drug world," Stam said. "I was stupid to follow those people. But I have nothing to do with the large shipments of cocaine or the setting up of smuggling routes. That's their business, and they don't let me in on it."

Stam denied the other charges or claimed insufficient evidence, including group messages seized by police over six months from encrypted phones—the preferred communication method for organized crime. These messages showed key figures discussing drug distribution, exchange rates, money flow, along with images of cocaine bricks and stacks of cash bound with rubber bands. Stam explained that it was just "bragging" and "showing off" to appear powerful, but he had no intention of carrying it out. "Compared to the big players, I'm at the bottom of the food chain." However, prosecutor Marcel Kikkert countered, "In the cutthroat drug world, the defendant is always trying to deceive everyone." According to Kikkert, Stam was deeply involved in crime and a key player in the cocaine trade: "We're not talking about small-time crooks here. Small-time crooks don't have hundreds of kilograms of cocaine ready in South America to ship to the Netherlands."

One of the issues plaguing Dutch football is that Stam’s case follows closely on the heels of Quincy Promes', the former Ajax midfielder, conviction for large-scale cocaine trafficking. Promes, who earned 50 caps for the Netherlands, received a six-year sentence in 2/2024 for smuggling 1,363 kg of cocaine from Belgium to the Netherlands, worth an estimated 87 million USD. The 33-year-old had previously been sentenced to 18 months in prison for stabbing his cousin and was extradited from Dubai to the Netherlands to face sentencing. Promes is currently appealing.

The sums of money involved in these drug cases are staggering. In Stam’s case, the court ordered the confiscation of nearly 2 million USD in illegal proceeds. Prosecutor Kikkert called it "a particularly high number," but it may be just "the tip of the iceberg." According to investigative documents, authorities seized three houses owned by Stam, multiple bank accounts, 116,000 USD in cash, six luxury watches, jewelry, a Porsche Cayenne, a camper van, a yacht, and gym equipment.

Ronnie Stam’s family – who has no relation to former Manchester United player Jaap Stam – is no stranger to legal trouble. In 2016, Stam’s parents were accused of money laundering after police discovered 46,000 USD hidden in plastic bags behind the refrigerator in their home. Police also seized a BMW X5 worth 58,000 USD paid for in cash. However, they were acquitted after claiming the money came from their son’s football earnings.

In 3/2024, Stam's 43-year-old brother, Rudi Stam, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for participating in a large-scale cocaine smuggling operation from South America. Rudi was also accused in the same case as his brother but was not present at the 13/8 hearing for the verdict. The court was informed that Rudi had fled to Dubai and is now wanted internationally. In absentia, Rudi would receive a three-and-a-half-year sentence. Rudi's lawyer, Joris Kersemaekers, stated in April of this year that his client "chose his family" rather than face a sentence he considered too harsh. "Rudi is not Tony Montana or Pablo Escobar," the lawyer emphasized.

The court was also informed that Rudi allegedly attempted to purchase a house in Dubai for his brother to escape abroad, but the plan failed. Ronnie was denied bail and detained because Dutch authorities considered him a flight risk. Police records also indicate that the Stam brothers were linked to weapons, although this charge was not prosecuted. But the prosecutor stated that this "fits the image of two seasoned criminals."

Stam’s current image is a far cry from his days as a solid and dependable premier league player. At Wigan, he was known as quiet and approachable, making his involvement in serious criminal activity difficult to comprehend. For instance, upon learning that Wigan Observer reporter Paul Kendrick had established Joseph’s Goal, a charity seeking a cure for his son’s rare genetic disorder NKH, Stam quietly handed him a wad of cash for the fund and asked if he could do anything more. This act was seen as genuine concern, not a publicity stunt.

Stam (right) celebrates winning the Dutch league title with Twente Enschede in 2010. Photo: Gelderlander

Stam (right) celebrates winning the Dutch league title with Twente Enschede in 2010. Photo: Gelderlander

However, the scene at the Breda court on 13/8 was starkly different. The judge described Stam’s testimony as "unreliable" in many respects. While he was acquitted of organizing the import of 893 kg of cocaine from Costa Rica in 12/2020 and possessing 600 kg of cocaine in 2/2021, the judge maintained that the Stam brothers were "a link in a large-scale international drug trafficking operation." The judge emphasized: "They were only interested in making a lot of money. This behavior has serious consequences, and that is why a long prison sentence is necessary."

Stam requested the court to consider the media's impact on his family and asked for leniency, but the request was denied. Following Dutch press conventions, in most cases, defendants' full names are not published, and facial images are blurred – although Promes, a more prominent figure than Stam, did not receive this protection. Consequently, the Dutch press referred to Stam’s case as "Ronnie S.," and images in newspapers like BN DeStem and Omroep Brabant showed him in football attire but with his face obscured. However, the public was still well aware of his identity through the reporting.

Regarding the future, Stam's lawyer stated in court: "You will not see Ronnie back in court. He has learned his lesson."

Hoang Thong (adapted from The Athletic)