Five men charged with serious drug smuggling from Sweden to Tromsø
Five men are charged with importing large quantities of narcotics from Sweden to Tromsø between 2023 and 2024. Two of them were arrested in Narvik with cocaine and cannabis in their rucksacks.
Planned to cross national border on slalom skis with narcotics in rucksacks
Two of the five charged men were arrested in Narvik with 500 grams of cocaine and 3 kilos of cannabis in their rucksacks, according to nrk.no reporting from Nord-Troms and Senja district court.
In March 2024, a man in his 30s and a younger man travelled to Stockholm and Uppsala – ostensibly on a trip with friends. Before taking the train northwards, they picked up what they refer to as "provisions" in the two cities. They got off at Björkliden station, near the Norwegian border.
"It was really supposed to just be for fun. I had never been to Stockholm before, so I looked at some tourist attractions," the young man explained in court on Thursday.
Originally, the plan was to cross the mountain on slalom skis. The two are experienced skiers and had skis and rucksacks ready. In the rucksacks lay a thermos, a camping stove, food – and the narcotics.
"What you need for a trip in the mountains," said the young man.
But when they were heading out towards the mountain area, they turned back.
"We couldn't be bothered. It was not fully thought through," the man in his 30s told the court.
Instead, they took a bus from Sweden to Narvik – where police were waiting.
"So you were arrested?" asked the prosecutor.
"That's right," answered the man in his 30s.
Both have admitted guilt for importing the 500 grams of cocaine and 3 kilos of cannabis that were found when police opened their rucksacks.
Courier arrested at Fauske railway station
The case stretches back to September 2023. Police believe the group of five men has, over time, imported and dealt in a significant quantity of narcotics from Sweden and Oslo to Tromsø, through three separate operations.
The first arrest took place on 2 February 2024 at Fauske railway station. There, a man in his 50s was stopped with approximately 2 kilos of amphetamine, 9 kilos of cannabis and 90 grams of cocaine in his luggage. He is identified as the courier in the group and has admitted guilt on all four counts he is charged with. His defence lawyer, Ulf E. Hansen, told nrk.no ahead of the trial that his client has explained his role to police and is prepared to serve his sentence.
After the courier's arrest, according to police, confusion arose in the group. In a chat that police believe the man in his 30s participated in, some wrote: "He's disappeared" and "Struggling to understand why he would bail when everything is set for it to go well. Try to get in touch".
Five men with different roles and guilty pleas
The man in his 30s is considered by police to be the ringleader of the group. He is charged on five counts and enters a partial guilty plea. He admits to organising the transport of one kilo of cocaine and one kilo of cannabis from Oslo to Tromsø, as well as arranging the purchase of narcotics that were imported in March 2024. He denies guilt for organising the import from Sweden on three occasions between September 2023 and February 2024. In addition, he denies breaking into a flat in Tromsø and threatening another man with a firearm.
A third defendant is accused of between September 2023 and March 2024 receiving and storing narcotics in Tromsø before it was sold on, and of contributing to the import from Sweden. This man denies guilt on all counts.
A fourth man is linked to the group during the period November 2023 to March 2024. He enters a partial guilty plea for transporting one kilo of cocaine and one kilo of cannabis from Oslo to Tromsø, but denies transporting a "larger quantity of narcotics" from Oslo to Tromsø over Christmas 2023, and for contributing to the import from Sweden.
The fifth defendant, a man in his 20s, is linked to a single incident in which police believe he imported one kilo of cocaine from Sweden to Norway. He denies guilt. His defence lawyer is Cecilie Grue.
Extra security measures in the district court
Police believe the five men collectively have imported a significant quantity of narcotics to Norway. The trial is taking place at Nord-Troms and Senja district court in Tromsø, where extra security measures have been implemented in connection with the case.
The young man himself summed up the trip to Sweden in court as follows: "It was supposed to be a trip with friends and a smuggling trip."
Source: Google News NO — Vold/Narkotika