Ex-Footballer, previous champion of the Premier League, and FA Cup victor, sentenced to seven years of imprisonment due to an investigation regarding drug trafficking.
Former Wigan Athletic Defender Ronnie Stam Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Drug Smuggling
Ronnie Stam, a former Dutch footballer who made 73 appearances for Wigan Athletic after winning the Eredivisie title with FC Twente, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for trafficking 724 kilograms of cocaine and MDMA, as well as for possessing nitrous oxide ("laughing gas").
The court ruling, which took place on August 12, 2025, stated that Stam played a determining and coordinating role in the drug smuggling operation. His brother was also implicated in the crime.
Stam's football career saw him make 358 senior appearances, scoring ten goals and assisting 26. He won the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic in 2013 but did not feature in the club's 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Stam left Wigan Athletic in 2013 for Belgian side Standard Liege and returned to NAC Breda two years later.
The drugs were intercepted in Chile before they could arrive in Rotterdam. According to the court, Stam remained in contact with the shipment owner in Dubai.
In addition to the prison sentence, Stam and his brother must pay a €30,000 fine and have around €1.7 million in criminal proceeds confiscated.
It's worth noting that Stam did not play for the Netherlands national team in any official match. He did receive one call-up to the national team but missed a friendly against Ukraine due to injury.
Stam retired from football in 2016 due to recurring injury issues. The exact start of the investigation or arrests related to the drug smuggling case is not provided in the available information.
[1] Source: DutchNews.nl (https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2025/08/former-wigan-athletic-defender-ronnie-stam-sentenced-to-seven-years-in-prison-for-drug-smuggling/)
[2] Source: BBC Sport (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46621623)
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