Inside the 20 men-in-a-cell UAE prison housing Quincy Promes: Former Ajax star is in a freezing cold jail where no fruit or vegetables are served and rape is ‘an everyday occurrence’ – as he hopes to be sent to Russia, not Holland

The extent of Quincy Promes’ brutal living conditions in a UAE prison has been revealed in a new report.

Promes, a winger who has played for Ajax and Sevilla in his career, is serving a six-year prison sentence, handed down last month, for his involvement in smuggling 1,363kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of £65 million . .

This came after Promes received an eighteen-month prison sentence in June 2023 for stabbing his cousin in the knee at a family party.

Being far away from the legal proceedings and living in Russia, where he had a contract with Spartak Moscow, the 32-year-old was stopped by border control a month ago and was not allowed to travel back to Russia.

This is now evident from a report by crime reporter John van den Heuvel The Telegraphthe harsh reality of Promes’ new life is detailed, as he will be sent back to Russia as soon as possible.

Promes was sentenced to six years in prison for involvement in cocaine smuggling in 2020

He is reportedly staying in a six-person cell, with 20 inmates also sleeping on the cell floor

In a prison in Al Aweer, Promes is reportedly staying in a six-person cell, where he sleeps in a double bunk bed, while up to twenty prisoners also sleep on the floor of the cell.

Although he is allowed to exercise three times a week, there is reportedly no fitness equipment available, making it difficult for Promes to stay fit while serving his sentence.

The challenge is made even more difficult because no fruit or vegetables are served, with Promes allowed to watch television outside his cell alongside the other prisoners during the day.

He is said to be housed next to four other Dutch prisoners who are also awaiting extradition, while other prisoners, mainly of Pakistani, Egyptian and Indian descent, are addicted and unaware of Promes’ status.

Perhaps most distressing is that rape is an everyday occurrence in the prison, with few guards patrolling the prison, which keeps prisoners in freezing cold and noisy conditions due to strong air conditioning.

Inmates at the prison are reportedly required to have a shaved head at all times, starting when they enter, and are punished if their hair grows long, with punishments including bans on TV and calls home.

It is also said that there are concerns about prisoners being allowed to receive visitors.

It is reported that rape is “an everyday occurrence” and that few guards patrol the prison

Promes is said to have requested extradition to Russia, where he plays for Spartak Moscow

Although he is Dutch, Promes is said to have requested extradition to Russia instead of the Netherlands so that he can avoid a prison sentence in his home country.

Like the Netherlands, Russia is said to have requested that Promes be sent to the country due to suspicions of tax fraud.

Promes’ lawyers previously said about his situation: ‘We point out that an independent judge in Dubai will now decide on the Dutch extradition request. In general, extradition proceedings can take quite some time and involve many formal steps and requirements.

‘This is also very common in the Netherlands. The outcome and duration of the extradition proceedings cannot be predicted at this time.”