Already in November, the Swedish Customs Service stated that they had never previously seized as much cocaine as in 2023. Helsingborg’s port has been described as a gateway for drugs into Sweden.
– It is an extensive and advanced operation that we are facing that has no historical counterpart, says Charlotte Svensson, Director General of Customs at the Swedish Customs Administration.
Large seizures of cannabis
A total of 11 tons of narcotics have been seized, and that is twice as much as the previous year, according to the Swedish Customs Administration. In 2022, 5,200 kilograms were seized.
Among other things, seizures of cannabis are three times larger compared to 2022. Never before has so much cannabis been stopped at customs, and mainly it comes in through the port of Helsingborg.
Seizures of cocaine and heroin are also increasing, but the seizures of weapons are not as large as the previous year.
Favors criminal gangs
The customs office believes that they have become better at finding the narcotics, and believes that it is a deliberate strategy to go after the gross smuggling.
– We have become sharper, and we are in the right places. There is a large market in Sweden, it is more acceptable to use drugs. If you do that, you contribute to the development of violence in Sweden. Drugs fuel the gangs, says Jennie Von Alten, head of department at the Swedish Customs Service.
At the same time, the head of the department says that the seizures are a fraction of the narcotics that enter Sweden.