Former Premier League star accused of smuggling £48m of cocaine faces 13 years in prison

A former Premier League player and FA Cup winner is facing up to 13 years in prison after being accused of smuggling £48 worth of cocaine.

Former Wigan defender Ronnie Stam also faces the prospect of being fined up to £1.5m after he allegedly trafficked two tonnes of drugs.

The 40-year-old in on trial in Breda alongside his brother Rudi, accused of smuggling cocaine from South America to the Netherlands.

The public prosecutor has suggested Stam be sent to prison until 2038 and pay the £1.5m fine, while his brother Rudi could be imprisoned for six years with the same fine.

The ex-Wigan player has been in custody for a year since he was first arrested over the allegations.

A prosecutor told a hearing last September: ‘This case concerns hundreds of kilos of cocaine each time. I contend that Stam was a major player in the drugs world.’

Dutch broadcaster Omroepbrabant reports that when Stam heard of the 13 year sentence being called for, he suggested it was only because of his fame.

‘My children had to cry about it,’ he said. ‘The youngest thinks he will never see me again and the oldest thinks I will miss his entire football career.

‘More than for the biggest drug criminals. And that is only because this is a media case, because I was good at football.’

The ex-footballer claims he is innocent, telling the judge: ‘I am not a major player in the drug world.’

The trial continues as the Stam brothers await a verdict, expected in August.

The younger Stam signed for Wigan for £2m in 2010 after winning the Eredivisie with FC Twente.

The right-back went on to play 62 times in the Premier League for Wigan and won the FA Cup with them in 2013, although he did not play in the final.

He left Wigan in 2013 to sign for Standard Liege in Belgium before returning to NAC Breda, where he had made his professional debut.

Stam retired in 2016 at just 32 years old, saying: ‘I have thought long and hard about this choice.

‘But it is physically better to put an end to my career now. The fact that NAC has not been promoted and is completely rebuilding has made that choice easier.’