Ten years in prison demanded for former football player Mendes da Silva for drug trafficking

Former professional football player and former national team player David Mendes da Silva was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday for his role in drug trafficking. His lawyer Sander Janssen and a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office confirmed this.

His lawyer argues that Mendes da Silva admitted on Friday that he made mistakes and participated in drug trafficking. "But certainly not to the extent alleged by the prosecution," he said.

The former professional football player was arrested on his 40th birthday last August as part of a drug investigation. He was allegedly involved in the importation of three shipments of cocaine with a total value of 1,584 kilos. Prosecutors also suspect him of bribing employees of Schiphol and container transport company Hamburg Süd in the port of Rotterdam. According to the prosecution, Mendes da Silva played a major role, but his lawyer denies this.

Mendes da Silva played seven times for the Dutch national team and was active for Sparta, Ajax, NAC Breda, AZ, Red Bull Salzburg, and Panathinaikos since 2000. He ended his career at the age of 34 in 2017 with Sparta.

The court in Rotterdam will give a verdict in two weeks, on July 28.