Former footballer David Mendes da Silva also accused of bribery in major cocaine case

Former professional football player David Mendes da Silva is not only suspected of smuggling cocaine, but also of bribing Schiphol employees and employees of the Hamburg Süd sea container transport company at the port of Rotterdam. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) laid out the bribery accusation against the former Oranje player for the first time during a court hearing in Rotterdam on Monday.

Mendes da Silva played professionally for 17 years with teams including Ajax, AZ, and Red Bull Salzburg. He was arrested in early August on his 40th birthday as part of a narcotics investigation. He was initially suspected of importing three batches of cocaine totaling 1,584 kilograms. According to drug research center Jellinek, the cocaine carried a street value between 70 and 95 million euros.

On Monday, a new accusation was added to the case. The OM said it will also prosecute him for preparatory acts for the importation of drugs. The Public Prosecution Service said it decrypted messages that the Dutch authorities intercepted as part of its spoofing operation of the messaging service Sky ECC.

Mendes da Silva participated in group chats about drug importation, the OM said. The suspect has denied the accusation. He also offered employees of Schiphol or a company working at Schiphol money in exchange for information, the OM added.

Mendes da Silva’s attorney asked the court to release his client from pre-trial detention. He wants the court to wait for a ruling from the Supreme Court about whether hacked “crypto phones,” which were set up to use encrypted chat services, may be used as evidence. The Public Prosecution Service opposed this and wants to deal with the substance of the case in a trial this spring.

The Rotterdam-born Mendes da Silva, who has family heritage from Cape Verde, made his debut with Sparta in 2000. He then played for Ajax, NAC Breda, AZ, Red Bull Salzburg and Panathinaikos before ending his career with Sparta in 2017 at the age of 34. With AZ he celebrated the Eredivisie title in 2009. He won the Austrian double at Red Bull Salzburg.

Mendes da Silva also made his debut with Oranje in February 2007 in a match against Russia. He played seven times for the Dutch men’s national team.