Promes 'under suspicion of drug trafficking' amid attempted murder charge

Spartak Moscow forward Quincy Promes is under suspicion of being involved in drug trafficking and organised crime, according to a report in his native Netherlands.

The 30-year-old is set to be charged with attempted murder after he was arrested in December 2020 in relation to a stabbing which took place in June that year.

The alleged victim is believed to be his cousin, who was stabbed in the knee at a family party at a warehouse in Abcoude, just outside Amsterdam. The relative is said to have been left with serious injuries but survived.

Promes spent two nights in prison after his arrest and he has always denied the allegations against him.

Dutch prosecutors originally pursued attempted manslaughter and aggravated assault charges against the former Ajax player, who has earned 50 caps for Netherlands and featured at Euro 2020 last summer.

However, it was announced last week they will elevate the charges to attempted murder in a bid to expedite the court case.

Hearings are due to take place on 31 March after Promes' lawyer consented to the alleged victim's representative requesting the more severe charge.

In a fresh development, De Telegraaf claims the player can be heard confessing to stabbing the victim in wire-tapped phone calls.

Prosecutors will not divulge the reason they were listening in on Promes' conversations but the report adds it is because he was being investigated for supposed links to a drug trafficking network.

Further, the Dutch outlet claims members of his wider family were imprisoned for drug trafficking and money laundering as part of the investigation and he is said to have phoned his incarcerated nephew weekly.

Promes and his relatives allegedly stumped up a huge sum for a 4,000-kilo supply of cocaine worth £100million but the drug shipment was intercepted in Antwerp in April 2020.

The report claims transcripts of the tapped phone conversations show Promes wanted to stab his cousin to death.

Promes left Ajax to return for a second stint at Spartak in February 2021 and he featured in Sunday's Russian Premier League clash against Krasnodar, scoring in his second consecutive game.

The versatile attacker came through the academy ranks at Twente and previously spent one season with Sevilla.

Promes featured in both of Spartak's Europa League group-stage encounters against Leicester earlier this season and he has scored 10 times in 23 appearances.

He made his senior Netherlands debut in 2014 and has scored seven goals for his country.