Former footballer Ronnie S. (40) from Breda was involved in the import of thousands of kilos of cocaine. This became apparent on Thursday in the court in Breda. S. was also allegedly involved in the laundering of hundreds of thousands of euros. S. was a major player in the drug world, the justice department indicated.
S. communicated about transports and directed extractors via coded messages, according to the judiciary. S. has been in custody since June and will remain in custody for the time being. Especially because his brother Rudi S. has been on the run since his conviction in March to 54 months in prison for drug smuggling.
According to the judiciary, Rudi is in Dubai and it is feared that Ronnie will also go there if he is released provisionally. According to the judiciary, Ronnie was already in Dubai with his wife in April, where he said in a wiretapped conversation that his brother had bought a house for him there. According to S.’s lawyer, this is not true.
S.’s lawyer made it clear in court that S. is being threatened. For example, there were said to have been two attacks on a house where his children were sleeping.
In the first management session this Thursday, which Ronnie S. was not present at, it was announced what S. is being prosecuted for. In total, S. is now suspected of seven facts:
- Aiding and abetting the import of 20 kilos of cocaine, February 2020
- Aiding and abetting the import of 893 kilos of cocaine, December 2020
- Aiding and abetting the import of 700 kilos of cocaine, February 2021
- Aiding and abetting possession of 600 kilos, February 15, 2021
- Aiding and abetting money laundering of 338,000 euros, 2020-2021
- Aiding and abetting preparatory acts for importing large quantities of cocaine. Sent many messages via Sky ECC. Arranged transports and extractors, 2020 – 2021
- Export 4 kilos of coke and 5 kilos of MDMA, December 2023 – June 2024
Girlfriend also arrested
The former player of NAC Breda and FC Twente, among others, was arrested in Eindhoven on 10 June and has been in jail ever since. His girlfriend was arrested in Hoogstraten and his parents also had to spend a few nights in jail. But they have since been released. They remain suspects, the police reported earlier.
Rudi S. (42), Ronnie’s brother, was sentenced to 54 months in prison in March for involvement in importing large quantities of cocaine. He did this together with six others. They had been active since 2018 and imported the cocaine from South America to Europe. The stuff was hidden in batches of coffee, wood and tiles. Rudi will also be prosecuted in the case of his brother Ronnie.
READ ALSO: Birthday texts betray drug-smuggling businessmen
Three houses and a yacht have been seized. Several bank accounts have been ‘frozen’ so that no more money can be withdrawn from them.
National Champion
Ronnie S. played for NAC Breda for many years. He played there in the youth and made his debut in the first team in 2003. After 122 matches he left for FC Twente in 2008, where he became national champion.
Those successful years earned him a transfer to Wigan Athletic in 2010, which then played in the English Premier League. From 2013 he played for Standard Liège, after which he returned to NAC Breda in 2015.
When the Breda team failed to gain promotion to the Eredivisie in 2016 and many NAC players left, Ronnie S. ended his career after 293 professional matches.
