The Customs Administration saw several clear trends in the drug seizures in 2024.
The number of seized drug -classified tablets was at a record high level: 4.8 million compared with 2.1 million in 2023.
One explanation may be that heroin abuse has gone down and replaced by drug -classified tablets, says the Customs Administration.
A large part are synthetic opioids, such as tramadol, which is often linked to criminal gangs.
– What we do know is that it is used when committing violent crimes, as a blunt effect, and we see that it is used in the gang environments, says Jennie von Alten, head of the Customs Control Department.
“Goalkeepers” and amphetamine factories
Although the largest seizures are still in trucks, the Customs Administration is making more and more of the tablet fittings in the postal and package flow. A contributing factor may be a change in law from 2023 that allows postal employees to report suspected crimes, which SVT reported.
The authority also sees a large increase in serious cannabis fittings that have been sent as a package – where young people are recruited to become “parcel goalkeepers”.
– We see an alarming development with young people who are recruited online to become parcel goalkeepers. Against a smaller sum, young people offer to receive and store packages that often contain large amounts of drugs, says Per Westberg, head of the Customs Crime Department, in a statement.
The Customs Administration also seized 75 liters of amphetamine oil, which can be about 240 kilos of finished amphetamine in an illegal “factory”.
– What we see is that we have seized greater amphetamine oil, and that indicates that there is some form of manufacturing in Sweden, says Jennie von Alten.
BRÅ: Drug crime increases the most
Drug crime is the crime that increased most between 2023 and 2024, according to Preliminary statistics from the Crime Prevention Council. The number of reported drug offenses increased by 17 percent. Jennie von Alten believes that it can be linked to demand and access to drugs.
– Partly that it is a more liberal attitude to drug use, but also access. Obviously it comes into the country and there is an asset.
– If we clog in one place, then we suddenly find new roads where they come. So we always need to be flexible and quick -footed and follow the flows where we see it coming in.