In specially built compartments in cars, the men smuggled large quantities of cocaine, cannabis and narcotic drugs. In the end, the police were able to arrest them – when European police managed to crack the encrypted chat service Sky ECC.
For several years, the men smuggled large amounts of money and drugs from the Netherlands and Belgium to Sweden. It involved cocaine, cannabis and narcotic tablets, benzodiazepines.
Two of the men organized the import, the other two managed the sale, one of them with connections to the Hells Angels.
Sold all over Sweden
The drug was sold in many places, Eskilstuna, Västerås, Strängnäs, Knivsta, Borlänge, Gävle, Avesta and Säter.
In a specially built maple compartment in passenger cars, the smuggling could last for a couple of years. To open the maple compartment, a knob that controls the car’s ventilation had been connected to the opening function.
In March 2021, European police finally managed to crack the encrypted communication service Sky ECC, which replaced Encrochat. They gave the data to the police in Sweden – who were finally able to arrest the men.
Sentenced to long sentences
Earlier this week, the four men, aged 30 to 50, were sentenced to prison. One of the smugglers received the longest sentence, eight years and six months, for extremely serious drug smuggling and serious money laundering. He was convicted of having smuggled in at least the equivalent of five million kroner.
His co-smuggler was sentenced to seven years in prison, also for particularly serious drug smuggling.
The two other men were sentenced to four and five years in prison respectively for serious drug offences.