More women coerced into drug smuggling for Swedish gang: 'Afraid of being liquidated'
A woman in her 30s from Trøndelag was threatened by Swedish gang criminals to transport drugs from Thailand to Norway. She was arrested at Gardermoen with over 16 kilograms of marijuana.
Forced into drug smuggling: 'I didn't dare back out'
Dagbladet meets her at a secret location in central Norway. The tall woman looks around and checks over her shoulder before sitting down. She is terrified.
– It's actually just insane. Completely insane, she says, staring at the floor.
– Yes, I'm afraid of being liquidated. It's a terrible feeling, she tells us.
Dagbladet has spoken with the woman in her 30s, who has underage children and has struggled with substance abuse for several years. It was through the drug scene that she came into contact with a Swedish man with close connections to criminal networks.
Contact at a party in Trondheim
She met a Swedish man at a party in Trondheim through a girlfriend. At first, she did not know who he really was.
– I was high, and when he wanted me to go with him to Thailand, I said yes. The day after, I regretted it. Then came the threats, and that it would have fatal consequences if I didn't go.
Her passport was confiscated upon arrival, and she did not get it back until she was driven to the airport for her return trip. At the hotel in Bangkok – located about a mile from the international airport Suvarnabhumi Airport – she was held for what she describes as a week in a kind of prison.
– It was terribly boring. I didn't get the tablets I needed. Even though we were placed at a hotel, it was like being in a prison.
20,000 kroner for a suitcase with alleged 3.5 million in street value
She was promised 20,000 kroner to bring a suitcase home to Norway. According to her, the suitcase had a street value of close to 3.5 million kroner.
– I didn't know what was in the suitcase, but I understood that it was something.
At Suvarnabhumi Airport, she spotted a person she recognised from the environment around the Swedish man. He followed her and checked that she boarded the plane as planned.
– I pretended nothing was wrong, and boarded the plane.
At Gardermoen, Norwegian customs officials were waiting. The woman was arrested with just over 16 kilograms of marijuana in the suitcase.
– I was arrested and remanded in custody for four weeks. I laid all my cards on the table and told what had happened. After ten, twelve days, I was released. Since then, I have lived in fear.
Her son refused to let her attend his confirmation party
The involuntary trip to Thailand has had major consequences for her family as well.
– My son – who was to be confirmed this spring – called and said I wasn't allowed to come to the party. He was scared, she tells us.
The family feared the Swedish criminals would come after them.
– Of course I regret it. I was stupid and naive. It hurts when my son no longer dares to have contact with me.
Contacted again after release
After she was released from custody in December 2025, she was contacted again by people from the Swedish criminal network. This time, they wanted to send her to Taiwan.
– They claimed I should help a friend of mine out of prison. He was first sent to Thailand, then to Taiwan by the Swedish network. I understood that it was just nonsense.
The same Swedish contact is probably identical to the man who allegedly threatened a family from Namdaling, who now sits in remand custody in Taiwan, and demanded 100,000 kroner from them.
Knows others from Trøndelag in the same situation
The woman unprompted tells about others she knows from the drug scene in Trøndelag who, according to her, have been subjected to the same.
– A girl is imprisoned in Gothenburg. A man from Trøndelag took his own life after being threatened by the Swedish men.
She believes the network deliberately picks out vulnerable people.
– They know what they're doing – the Swedish men – when they pick out people like me to smuggle. They target people like me – who are dysfunctional, says the woman from Helgeland coast.
Hopes the court understands she acted under duress
The woman now risks a lengthy prison sentence. The hope is that the court will emphasise that she acted under threats and coercion, and that she receives a mild conditional sentence.
– Of course I have a dream of becoming drug-free. If I'm to manage that, I need help. Whether I can manage it, I don't know.
Source: Google News NO — Crime