When the funerals became far more than the weddings, gang criminal Johan got enough. He knew that death or imprisonment was waiting around the corner.
But the defection became a bigger challenge than he could have imagined.
– I was just left alone in an apartment. It was horrible. Staff would have been needed on site, says Johan.
Aftonbladet’s team meets Johan, 34, at a hotel in southern Sweden. He has recently dropped out of serious gang crime and is wearing a safety vest under his jacket.
– There are people who are looking for one. I’m not safe anywhere, says Johan, whose real name is something else.
It all started when Johan was 13 years old. An older friend offered to do business for him. Johan soon realized that it was about drug sales. It received – but at the same time warmed the money he received for the inconvenience.
– He bought a lot of things for me. Toys and more. Then I got money. I earned 50-60 kronor in the beginning, then a couple of hundred bucks at a time. It was a lot then in the 90s.
Johan also had a hard time at school and later also problems getting a job. He also experienced that the family regarded him a bit as a “black sheep” – so he had to manage a lot on his own. At the same time, the compensation he received for drug sales grew. After a few years, he was stuck in the criminal world.
“Only power and money”
– We did everything from gross extortion, drug sales and arms sales, says Johan.
Life spun on and the money fell in. Suddenly Johan could move with hundreds of thousands of kronor a week.
– I felt really good. I had a lot of money. It was just to go in and cash out a car. By drawing your card.
The other criminals became a bit like a family. They called each other “brothers”. But that the gang is like a family is a myth Johan wants to break.
– You are not a “brother” to anyone. The kids have to stop saying that. It’s all about power and money.
Johan got to feel it himself. When the others in the gang started to get jealous, he realized that there were plans to betray him. At the same time, he saw how other criminals could be put to death.
– I had been to nine funerals, but no wedding. This is the reality, says Johan.
Protected residence
When he also had children of his own, faith in the gang began to falter. The criminal life came to a point where he no longer wanted to be involved.
– If I had continued my path, I would not be alive today. The alternatives were to die or sit inside for a long time, says Johan.
Johan began desperately searching for information about dropouts online. He found information about Fryshuset’s defector business Passus. They tried to help but the social services in the municipality where Johan was registered should not have been prepared to bear the cost. Instead, the social services offered another sheltered housing – not too far from the home municipality. After three days, Johan was placed in the sheltered accommodation. The first time was hell.
– There were no staff there. There should have been staff around the clock. Especially when you have been in a gang for so many years. I had contact with my contact person twice in one week.
Johan got severe anxiety after the defection. A combination of loneliness and fear of being found triggered anxiety. Eventually, the emotions became overwhelming.
– I had not slept in two and a half days. I had flashbacks and dizzy. I did not even dare go out on the balcony. Because you did not know.
“I regret that I hurt the innocent”
Johan called his contact person and asked for help to get to the psychiatric emergency room. He promised to return. But it took a while. Only after four hours should the contact person have called back. By then Johan had already received help from another person. He drove him to the psychiatric emergency room.
Johan believes that the sheltered housing must become better at taking care of the defectors. This increases the chance that you can do it.
– The most important thing is to exist for one. That the person receives a lot of support. Especially in the beginning when you do something as big as a defection, he says and continues:
– Social services must become better at inspecting shelters. They have no idea what it’s like. It does not work in the accommodation.
It is also important that the defector gets help to either start studying or find a job, Johan points out.
– It is important even if it is difficult. It may be that someone new starts in the workplace who may suspect who you are. Then you have to find something else and start all over again, says Johan.
Is there anything you regret doing in your criminal life?
– To hurt other, innocent people – who have really struggled to build themselves and their business. And so we come and destroy for them and take everything they own.
“You can be sold”
In the future, Johan hopes that he will be able to work with helping other people. The dream would be to support young people who want out of crime.
– Dare to take the step! Do not talk to anyone about it. Make the decision yourself, he urges.
Johan is actually called something else. He has chosen to tell about his dropout because he wants to prevent more young people from falling into serious crime.
– It’s not a good life. There is no “brother”. You can be sold by anyone. It is chaos.
Facts
Defectors need support
Aftonbladet has previously reported that the number of serious criminals who want to drop out is increasing. But to succeed completely. In the city of Malmö, the successful dropouts have increased slightly between 2019 and 2020.
The survey showed that there is a difference in how different municipalities work with defectors and how much emphasis is placed on following up the activities.
Christer Karlsson, the founder of Kris, Kriminella’s revenge in society, believes that the municipalities’ efforts are deficient. It is not enough for the defector to receive support to obtain housing, a job and be assigned a contact person. Those who drop out must also be given tools to cope with living under threat.
Another important thing is the social aspect, points out Christer Karlsson. The contact person assigned to the defector must play a very big role.
– The person who takes care of you must have contacts who help you find a friend. No one can live without friends, says Christer Karlsson.
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