Former Wigan Athletic man receives lengthy jail term for drug smuggling
Former Wigan Athletic star Ronnie Stam will spend the next seven years behind bars after being convicted of smuggling cocaine worth almost £50million into Europe from South America.
The Dutchman, who played for Latics in the Premier League between 2010-13, had been facing a total of 13 years behind bars, after prosecutors had labelled him a 'major player' in the criminal world.
“A ridiculous demand,” Stam countered in court. “Is that because I happened to be good at football?”
He admitted to being 'stupid', but insisted he was only a very small cog in a much bigger operation.
Stam was acquitted of two other, more serious charges, he stood accused of. But he was found guilty of conspiring to smuggle more than two tonnes of cocaine into Holland from Chile.
The 41-year-old, who had gambling issues, admitted years of using nitrous oxide had caused some gaps in his memory regarding the charges against him.
“Some things were six years ago,” he said. “I’ve been on the balloons a lot and I don’t remember everything exactly. I don’t want to say the wrong things.”
According to ‘The Athletic’, investigators also “seized three houses owned by Stam, several bank accounts, €100,000 in cash, six designer watches, jewellery, a Porsche Cayenne, a camper van, a yacht and gym equipment”.
Stam's brother Rudi, 43, was due to face two charges relating to the same plot, although the elder sibling is on the run after fleeing to Dubai.
He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison in his absence.
The brothers were described by the judge as being "a link in the large-scale international trade in hard drugs”.
Ronnie Stam was not in court in his hometown of Breda to personally hear his fate, choosing instead to stay in the prison cell one hour away where he's spent the last year, having been deemed a flight risk.
“Those rides in the van from prison to court are hell,” he said at a previous court hearing.
Stam made 73 appearances during his three years with Latics, his only goal coming in a 1-1 draw at Bolton Wanderers in January 2011.
After coming through the ranks at Breda, he won the Dutch league with FC Twente under Steve McClaren before moving to England.
He finished his career with Belgian outfit St Liege.