FORMER Premier League star Ronnie Stam is facing THIRTEEN YEARS in jail – after being accused of smuggling two tonnes of cocaine.
And the ex-Wigan defender could also be fined up to £1.5million if found guilty of trafficking the drugs, with a street value of £48m.
Stam, 40, had three top-flight seasons with the Latics – making 73 appearances.
He played in their FA Cup-winning campaign of 2013, but missed the final against Manchester City before leaving for Standard Liege that year.
But the now-retired player appeared in a Dutch court on Tuesday alongside his brother Rudi, 43.
The trial at Breda heard that the brothers transported cocaine from South America to the Netherlands in 2020 and 2021.
Prosecutors said evidence of drug shipments was found in encrypted phone chats between Ronnie and Rudi.
Photos of blocks of cocaine were reportedly seen among the duo’s messages.
The public prosecutor called for Stam to be imprisoned until 2038, and fined Є1.7m, for his part in the alleged crimes.
Meanwhile, brother Rudi is facing over six years in jail, plus an identical fine, if found guilty.
Stam told the court that he has been involved in a 20 kilo shipment to Germany in 2020, but denied any further involvement in the drug trade.
The Breda-born former defender claimed the money in his bank accounts had come from his football career.
Stam won the Dutch title with FC Twente in 2010, under ex-England boss Steve McClaren, before landing a £2m move to Wigan that year.
He has been in custody since first being arrested last June.
The trial continues.
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