Cecilia, 24, was to pick up a package – sentenced to 1.5 years in prison

Cecilia 24 was to pick up a package sentenced

Updated 09.43 | Published 2024-01-25 21.55

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Cecilia Ahlqvist, 24, is sentenced to 1.5 years in prison.

She will appear on Monday.

Now she shares her story with others on Tiktok.

– I want to draw attention to how bad things can go, even though you haven’t done much wrong, she says.

For several years, Cecilia Ahlqvist, 24, lived under threats from a relative. The person abused her both physically and mentally, and she tried several times to break contact with him.

Last spring, he ordered a package in her name. Now she’s going to jail for it.

– He ordered the package and put my name on it. When I tried to stand up to him, he threatened me. Either I would pick it up or I had to take it with “the guys who were going to get the package,” she says.

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full screenCecilia started sharing her story on Tiktok to help others – and draw attention to how bad things can get. On Monday, she will appear in prison to serve her sentence. Photo: Private

Said it was motorcycle parts

After the man ordered the package, he told her to pick it up for him.

What it contained, and why it was ordered in her name, she was not told. Only that it weighed 7 kilos. He said it would contain motorcycle parts – but Cecilia became suspicious.

The judgment states that she texted him and asked him about the package.

“There is something completely different in the package that will come, right? But as you don’t want to say,” she wrote.

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full screenCecilia lived under threat for several years. The same person who subjected her to it then ordered a package of drugs in her name. Photo: Private

Because of their background, and because of everything he put her through, she didn’t dare speak up against him, she says.

– I reported him once when he mistreated me, but then he threatened me, she says.

Because of her fear of him, she withdrew the report, she says. Their destructive relationship is also revealed in the judgment, and both the Court of Appeal and the District Court refer to previous text messages between Cecilia and the man where it appears that he was threatening her.

“Acted with intent of indifference”

On the day she was supposed to pick up the package, the man picked her up. However, she was told by the postman that the package was not available for collection.

Customs had seized it.

The next day, several police officers showed up at Cecilia’s house. They confiscated her phone and searched the house.

Later, she learned that the package she was supposed to pick up contained close to 5.5 kilos of narcotics. The investigation shows that the man ordered the drugs, but that he did so in her name.

Despite that, Cecilia is also considered guilty. Both the district court and the court of appeal write that she acted with so-called indifference intent. She sensed something was wrong, but did not report it to the police.

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fullscreen Cecilia reported the person for assault but withdrew it – because of threats, she says. Because of the beating, she had to get several stitches in her head. Photo: Private

Sentenced to prison

As evidence, the prosecutor used Cecilia’s text messages to the man, as well as some notes from Cecilia’s diary. In the diary it appears that she thought it was “strange that he didn’t want to say what the package contained unless it was something criminal”.

“From the investigation and Cecilia Ahlqvist’s own information, it is clear according to the district court that she realized that there was a risk that the package contained narcotics. Despite this, by both accepting the assignment and trying to pick up the shipment, she has acted indifferently to the risk that the package she tried to pick up contained narcotics,” writes the district court.

The sentence was appealed, but upheld in the Court of Appeal. Cecilia was previously completely unpunished, but now she will serve 1.5 years in prison for attempted serious drug offences.

The man was sentenced to two years in prison for serious drug trafficking.

Sharing his story on Tiktok

While waiting to report to the institution, Cecilia has started sharing her story on Tiktok. There she talks about what happened, why she was sentenced and also about the man who subjected her to the previous assault.

– In the beginning when I started sharing my Tiktoks, I was constantly shaking. In September I was also diagnosed with PTSD because of what this person put me through, she says.

– I want to draw attention to how bad things can go, even though you haven’t done much wrong. Unfortunately, there are many girls who experience similar things, who have destructive relationships and relationships they cannot break. There are also many people who live in sheltered accommodation who do not have the opportunity to talk openly about this, but I can.

Shall meet up and go in together

After that, several young women in the same situation contacted her. She says that they created a group and that they help each other, share experiences and support each other there.

– There have been a lot of girls who have written to me, and who have gone through similar things. We are also a small group of girls who will apply to the same institution, she says.

One of the women with whom she came into contact is to appear at the institution on Monday – the same day as Cecilia. They have decided to meet outside the building and go inside together.

– It feels very nervous, but the anxiety gets worse the longer I drag it out. I felt very alone when I was released from custody, but it has helped a lot to share this with others in the same situation, says Cecilia.

Want to heal in prison

Cecilia says that she tries to think positively and that she wants to use the time in prison to process everything she has been through and heal.

– This person took all my money, he took my accommodation, my finances. He has controlled my entire life – what I did, where I was and who I met. He tried to have control over everything, she says.

– I was so broken down and manipulated by him. I try to see the time in prison as an opportunity to try to process what I’ve been through, I want to study and get structure in my life again.

FACTS Here you can get help and support

Are you or someone close to you exposed to violence in a close relationship? Here is a selection of places you can turn to for help and support.

Important: Always call 112 in case of emergency. You can also reach the social service or the social emergency service in your municipality via the emergency number.

  • The women’s peace line (020-50 50 50, 24 hours a day)
    A national helpline for those who have been exposed to physical, psychological and sexual violence. Relatives and friends are also welcome to call.
  • All women’s house (08-644 09 20, Mon–Fri 9am–5pm)
    Offers temporary sheltered housing for people who have been victims of intimate partner violence and honour-related violence. Accepts women, men, their children and accompanying animals with placement via social services.
  • Roks
    The national organization for women’s shelters and girls’ shelters in Sweden collects shelters throughout Sweden, some of which offer sheltered accommodation. Find an on-call nearest you via Rok’s website. Click on “find an on-call”.
  • Unizone
    Collects over 150 women’s shelters, girls’ shelters and other support activities. On the website there are contact details for emergency services throughout Sweden, some of which offer sheltered accommodation. Click on “find on duty”.
  • Terrafem
    Network for women’s rights against men’s violence. Emergency phone: 020-52 10 10. Advice in 70 different languages, including legal advice.
  • The crime victim hotline (116 006, every day from 9 am to 7 pm)
    Provides support to criminal suspects, witnesses and relatives.
  • Q on duty (08-644 20 32)
    A women’s shelter for abused women with experiences of abuse and prostitution.
  • RFSL support reception (020-34 13 16, Thursdays 9am–12pm)
    Support for LGBTQI people who have been exposed to abuse, threats and violence. RFSL support reception also runs a sheltered accommodation in the Stockholm area.
  • Social services
    If you want to talk to someone who works at social services, you can call the switchboard in your municipality and ask to be connected to social services.
  • Breeze (Telephone: 116 111, or via chat at bris.se)
    All children can get help via Bris, Children’s rights in society.
  • Priest on duty (112)
    Can help with emergency call and crisis support: Call 112 and ask to be connected to the priest on duty.
  • Ungarelationer.se
    A support platform for young people (15–20 year olds) who are exposed to violence in their partner relationships, offers chat every evening at 8–10 pm.
  • Choose to quit (020-555 666)
    Choose to stop is a national telephone line for those who want help to change controlling or violent behaviour. The telephone line is run by the Stockholm County Administrative Board in collaboration with Manscentrum Stockholm and in collaboration with Sweden’s county administrative boards.
  • Read more

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