Over a ton of cocaine was seized in Nynäshamn’s container port last week.
The drugs are estimated to be worth more than one billion kroner – and the police now fear that the resulting debt could lead to a bloody gang war.
– In terms of experience, we know that it can affect the conflict environment, says police officer Max Åkerwall.
Four young men and two teenage boys are in custody after the police’s huge seizure on Thursday morning. According to information to TV4 Nyheterna, a ton of cocaine was seized in Norvik harbor in Nynäshamn. The seized batch, which may be the largest ever in Sweden, has been guarded by the police task force before it was transported to a secret location.
The purity of the cocaine is now being analyzed but it is estimated to be worth billions on the street.
The fact that the police have now taken so much cocaine means that it is feared that it may lead to acts of violence and extortion linked to the fact that the person who is now in debt needs to pay the money.
The police: Someone has paid for the entry
Max Åkerwall is deputy police area manager in Stockholm South and has extensive experience in network crime and gang operations. He cannot comment on the specific cocaine seizure but says in general terms:
– Always in police work that is described as successful, when we make large, significant seizures of drug preparations, we know from experience that there is a risk that this can directly, or indirectly, affect the conflict environment in various ways.
The police’s intelligence unit is working to try to find out who or who may have ended up in billions in debt and who or who it is that wants to be paid. This is to try to prevent crime and violence escalating among the criminals involved.
Criminals want to drop out after drug seizures
Max Åkerwall also states that similar giant seizures, in addition to the great risk of escalation of violence, also usually lead to a trend where criminals want to change lives.
– In general, this type of seizure can have a positive impact on the criminal environment in that this incident and this seizure causes some of the people involved to voluntarily contact us or municipalities to be part of different types of dropout programs.
Police Chief Jale Poljarevius is head of intelligence in police region Mitt, which has taken over the Nynäshamn investigation. He, too, speaks cautiously.
– There is a lot going on in terms of preliminary investigations. We continue with a great focus on dampening and working exactly as we work and maybe even increasing that degree. Even if there are successes, you have to remember that a lot of people are dying and we have to work on reducing the violence. So we can’t beat our chests and think “oh, oh, oh now we’ve won something”. Without calm, nice and humble, we have to work and we have big challenges ahead of us.
TV4 Nyheterna has sought the state prosecutor who is leading the investigation.