Man from Stenungsund sentenced to eleven years for drugs and 200 hand grenades
A 35-year-old linked to the STO area is sentenced to eleven years for aggravated drug trafficking and handling approximately 200 hand grenades. Four people receive a combined total of 31.5 years.
127 kilos of amphetamine and 80 hand grenades found in villa in Alingsås
A man aged 35, last registered in Stenungsund, has been sentenced to eleven years imprisonment by Gothenburg District Court for highly aggravated drug offences and serious breaches of the law on inflammable and explosive goods. This is reported by nyhetersto.se.
The man is one of four defendants in an extensive police investigation into drugs and hand grenades in the STO area. The four are sentenced to a combined total of 31 years and six months imprisonment, with the man from Stenungsund receiving the longest sentence.
The criminality was uncovered in March 2026 after police had conducted surveillance against the man and other suspects. He had temporarily rented a small house on a villa plot in Alingsås where large quantities of narcotics and hand grenades were stored.
During the police raid, 127 kilos of amphetamine, 17 kilos of cannabis and 80 hand grenades were found. The National Bomb Protection service was called to the scene to handle the explosive items.
The investigation shows that the criminality was of considerably larger scope than what was found during the raid. The man is said to have handled a total of around 200 hand grenades and nearly half a tonne of narcotics over several months.
Code words on Signal: "apples" for hand grenades and "dirty" for amphetamine
A central part of the evidence consists of messages in the encrypted service Signal. In the conversations, code words were used — hand grenades were referred to as "apples" or "fruit", whilst amphetamine was called "dirty".
In a message on 17 February, the man referred to "25 packages apples", which police assess related to hand grenades. The messages also show how he received instructions on packing and transporting explosive goods to various recipients.
On 18 February, he handed over a total of 40 hand grenades on two occasions in Ulricehamn. The following day, further hand grenades were transported to Hägersten in Stockholm.
Surveillance officers documented handover in Alingsås
On 14 March, police conducted a surveillance operation against the man in Alingsås. At 13.45, surveillance officers observed him meeting another man in a gravel car park at Prästerydsvägen, removing a bag from his car and handing it over.
Shortly afterwards, further bags and carrier bags were moved between the cars. When the recipient was later stopped near Vårgårda, police found narcotics and hand grenades in his car. The surveillance operation was to become one of the most important pieces of evidence against the man.
The man claimed duress — the district court does not accept the defence
The man has admitted to large parts of the acts but claimed he was forced to participate due to a serious threat. According to his account, he had debts connected to previous criminal activity. In autumn 2025, persons are said to have demanded 600,000 kronor from him, assaulted him and threatened to kill his family.
He is said to have resigned from his employment and begun transporting narcotics to pay off the debt. In support of his account, he cited amongst other things a message to his brother from October 2025 in which he asked for financial help and described his fear.
Gothenburg District Court does not question that the man was subjected to threats or that he was afraid. The court considers, however, that the situation was not such as to free him from responsibility — he had the opportunity to seek help and take legal measures to protect himself and his family.
Role more serious than that of a regular courier
The district court assesses that the man was part of an organised operation with extensive drug trafficking. Although he acted on the instructions of others and did not control the operation, he had been given the trust to store and handle very large quantities of narcotics and hand grenades — a role which the court assesses as more serious than that of a regular courier.
He is sentenced for several instances of highly aggravated drug offences, aggravated drug offences, highly aggravated breaches of the law on inflammable and explosive goods, as well as for drug offences and breaches of the knife law.
The district court assesses that the sentence value for the total criminality amounts to nearly 14 years imprisonment. Taking into account mitigating circumstances — amongst other things that the man voluntarily provided the code to his telephone — the sentence is set at eleven years.
Source: Google News SE — Crime (sv)