Man in his 40s charged with storing over one tonne of cocaine in Oslo flat
A man in his 40s is charged with storing over one tonne of drugs in a flat on Majorstuen. At least a quarter is confirmed as cocaine.
Charged with massive drug storage on Majorstuen
A man in his 40s is charged with extensive drug-related crime at Oslo district court, according to nrk.no. According to the indictment, the man is alleged to have stored over one tonne of drugs in a flat on Majorstuen.
– At least a quarter of this tonne can be identified as cocaine with certainty, said prosecutor Einar Salvesen Lieungh during the court proceedings.
Arrested in Frognerparken
The man was arrested by a chance police patrol in Frognerparken on 7 March this year. At that time, he had just handed over 2 kilogrammes of cocaine and received 705,000 kroner in cash.
Following the arrest, police searched his flat. There they found 18 kilogrammes of cocaine as well as empty packaging reconstructed to correspond to 51 kilogrammes of cocaine. In addition, approximately 150,000 kroner in cash was found.
Records point to over 900 kilogrammes
Police also found notebooks which they believe show accounts for the sale of 908 kilogrammes of drugs, of which at least 182 kilogrammes is believed to have been cocaine. Based on these accounts, police believe the man stored a total of 1,065 kilogrammes of drugs.
Prosecutor Lieungh commented on the scale:
– It is quite obvious with the quantities of drugs one sees in this case that it is a larger network operating professionally in the distribution of drugs.
Man gave limited statement
The man has so far refused to be interviewed by police, but made a statement in court. Defence counsel Zulifqar Munir stated that the statement was limited because the man fears for himself and his family.
– In his position in the hierarchy chain, there are reprisals for people who "snitch", said Munir.
The man claims that he only kept accounts on behalf of others, without knowing what it concerned. He is to have received figures via messages and written them down in the notebook. Approximately one week before his arrest, he received 20 kilogrammes of cocaine delivered to the flat, solely for storage, he explained. Who delivered the drugs or gave the instructions, he refused to disclose.
Also a man in his 20s charged
Three times in February and March, the man is to have handed over approximately 2 kilogrammes of cocaine to a man in his early 20s in Frognerparken. Both acknowledge that they met once in March – the same day they were arrested. They deny having had contact before this.
The man in his 40s admits guilt for storing the 18 kilogrammes found during the search, as well as the 2 kilogrammes handed over in the park.
According to the indictment, the offence is considered serious, with particular emphasis on the type of substance and the substantial quantities involved. The other buyers in the case have not yet been identified.
Source: Google News NO — Oslo