Former footballer Ronnie Stam (40) had a tough day in the court in Breda on Tuesday. The former footballer of NAC and FC Twente is suspected of smuggling with others of more than 2200 kilos of cocaine with a street value of 57 million euros, partly also with his brother Rudi (43), and the joint money laundering of millions of euros. The public prosecutor knows for sure that the brothers played a major role in international drug trafficking and demanded thirteen years in prison against Ronnie and more than six years in prison against Rudi.
Ronnie Stam said almost nothing during the long session. His lawyer often whispered to him that he had nothing to explain and Ronnie Stam did not do that he often referred to a letter in which he previously explained the court, but the content of that letter is not public.
The former footballer was militant, but especially when protecting his privacy. He didn’t like it that there were journalists in the hall and wanted to say as little as possible about his things, in the interest of his safety and also that of his children.
So it became a tough day, when the judges and also the public prosecutor did their best to pull some answers from Ronnie Stam. But that was only a little. Ronnie only admitted that he had mediated in the smuggling of 20 kilos of cocaine by post from Brazil to Frankfurt in 2020. Stam received ‘an amount of a kilo for arranging’.
Jaws on top of each other
But Ronnie Stam was silent about the biggest facts and that is also his right, the judges agreed regularly. Ronnie held his jaws on each other over his role in the smuggling of 893 kilos of Costa Rica to Europe to Europe at the end of 2020. He also said nothing about the 700 kilos that had to be from Chile to Europe in 2021 and also nothing about another party of 600 kilos and the four kilos of cocaine and 5 kilos of MDMA who had to go to Paris.
He used laughing gas a lot and often, but he did not recognize those 18 liters in the meter cupboard in his apartment in Eindhoven either. And so it was also with the millions of revenues that were discussed in all those encrypted messages with his brother.
And that is why the court must make do with the proof that the judiciary has collected in the half -meter thick file. And Rudi Stam (43), Ronnie’s brother, also plays an important role in that file. According to the judiciary, they are talking about drug trafficking and money. According to the officer, it is clear that the brothers constantly kept each other aware of all kinds of illegal issues through different accounts. Rudi, from Dubai, where he seems to sit since he was sentenced to 54 months in prison in 2024 in another major drug shop and Ronnie especially in the Netherlands.
Chat
The brothers chat loose about places where there is money, exchange rates, Underground Bankingprice of the peso, transport and much more. There seem to have been tons with family in Breda and in other places. In total, the judiciary also demands 2.6 million from the brothers.
If Ronnie was not silent, he mentioned all his reports about drug trafficking ‘Grootspraak’ or ‘Nonsense’. He always referred to his letter. But that was not necessary for the public prosecutor either. He concluded that from 2020, Ronnie and Rudi were important links in logisitics to have thousands of kilos of cocaine transported around the world and sliding the yields smartly.
Especially the treatment of that financial side of drug trafficking had those present dizzy in the courtroom. It must have been a day’s work to keep an eye on all those money flows. Secret places with cash, crypto accounts, accounting lists, everything came by, so who still had some credit. But Ronnie said nothing about this.
But if it is all nonsense and great speech, why did Ronnie Stam use encrypted messages via four accounts, the judges wanted to know. And why does he say so little about that? Ronnie stated that he earned a lot of money in football and got black money there. He was in the gambling world and was also addicted and would also have lent a total of five tons to a well -known from his time at FC Twente. But that money has not all been repaid and that friend is far away in Mexico nowadays, it seems.
‘600 Home Safe’
Ronnie chatted with the biggest boys from the drug world and also met them in Dubai. When they announced that ‘600 Home Safe is“The brothers were happy, the officer saw in the chats. Photos of blocks of cocaine appeared in the chat and they say ‘just cash out’ and ‘goes so well’. That seems everyday work, the judge Ronnie holds up, but he also keeps it a big deal in this case.
The court must now remove the share of Ronnie and his brother Rudi in the international drug smuggling. And of course also what they have to pay back if it is considered proven.
The lawyers who speak on Wednesday know an answer to that: little. They will make minced meat from the major requirements of 13 years and 74 months.