In 2020, they allegedly smuggled hundreds of kilos of drugs in backpacks.
The smuggling journey went from Spain to Tromsö and via the Swedish mountains.
Now they are charged in Northern Norway’s biggest drug case.
– It was heavy, long and steep, says one of the suspects, according to NRK.
Six men belonging to a criminal network are suspected of transporting 339 kilos of hashish and 12 kilos of marijuana from Spain to Tromsö in Norway. Three of the suspects are said to have taken the trip over the mountains between Sweden and Norway on several occasions. In total, they allegedly smuggled 230 kilos of hashish in the bags.
– I have felt like a donkey, says one of the defendants during questioning, according to NRK.
The presumed main suspect, who is in his 50s, tells in questioning how he has been in the drug environment since he was a teenager. When he met his wife, they decided to move to Spain to get sober and get a fresh start. During the pandemic, a destructive period of addiction began and the money quickly ran out.
Creative smuggling routes
He needed quick money and received a request to deliver narcotics to Northern Norway. The defendant contacted some old friends from Tromsö who volunteered. They then tried to find creative ways to transport the drugs across the border to Norway.
During one of the smuggling trips, the men tried to save time by crossing Torneträsk in an inflatable boat. The weight became too heavy and the boat cracked. They had to hide the drugs and prepare to carry the remaining 60 kilos in backpacks the next day.
– The rubber dinghy punctured, it couldn’t handle the weight. And then it started to blow up. We left the boat and went back to the apartment and had a few drinks, says one of the men in questioning.
“It was heavy”
They had to carry the drugs on foot to a delivery point in Bardu municipality. The men describe in questioning how the tough conditions made morale low. On one occasion, one of the men camped in the Swedish mountains for nine days, waiting for a delivery that never came.
– It was heavy, long and steep, said one of the men during the trial, which ended on Friday.
Among the evidence are receipts for hiking equipment such as tents, GPS, hunting radio, bags and walking poles. The 13 defendants risk imprisonment for between three and fifteen years.