Dutch former footballer David Mendes da Silva gets 7 years for cocaine trafficking

The Rotterdam Court sentenced Dutch former professional footballer David Mendes da Silva (40) to seven years in prison for cocaine trafficking. The Public Prosecution Service demanded a ten-year prison term.

Mendes da Silva was arrested in August during a narcotics investigation. He was suspected of being involved in the importation of three batches of cocaine, for a total of 1584 kilograms. The court found him directly involved in importing two batches amounting to 74 and 105 kilograms. In the third case, which involved over 1300 kilograms, the court acquitted Mendes da Silva of involvement in the importation but convicted him for “criminal preparatory actions.”

According to the judge, the former football player, at the request of someone else, bribed a corrupt employee in the shipping industry. "This was done to arrange for the location of the container with drugs to be disclosed, allowing the cocaine to be removed from the containers. The suspect was supposed to receive 50,000 euros for this, and the corrupt employee would receive 100,000 euros." However, in this case, the drugs had already been discovered and seized by customs.

Another procedure is currently underway in court to confiscate the money that Mendes da Silva is alleged to have earned.

Mendes da Silva, who played seven games for the Dutch national team from 2007 to 2009, started his professional career in 2000 and played for teams such as Sparta, Ajax, NAC Breda, AZ, Red Bull Salzburg, and Panathinaikos. He retired from professional football at the age of 34 in 2017. He was a versatile player capable of playing in the midfield and defense positions and was known for his dribbling and tackling skills.