Swedish criminals: – Have taken holiday paradise

Beautiful nature, long sandy beaches and the medieval town of Visby.

For many Scandinavians, Gotland is tantamount to a holiday paradise, and almost a million tourists make the trip to the island every year.

But so do criminal networks.

Now the Sammer paradise has become a crime-ridden island, writes Aftonbladet.

The rearmament

“Swedish conditions”

According to documents Aftonbladet has access to, there are a total of 48 different networks operating in Stockholm today, but these are constantly increasing.

Gotland belongs to Stockholm’s police district, but until a few years ago was spared the “Swedish conditions” that ravage the capital area.

In 2021, local police discovered two networks operating on the island, and it is believed that they are the same ones still operating today.

According to Aftonbladet’s information, one network has been given the name “Gotland 1” or “Adora” by the police. This network is based in Visby, but operates throughout the island. It is estimated that this network consists of a dozen people.

It is primarily drug sales that “Gotland 1” makes a living from, but according to the newspaper it is also suspected that they have a link to economic crime such as money laundering.

“Daily manager” taken

Creates fear

The other network claims Aftonbladet has been named “Gotland 2” or “Sprint”. This group is only suspected to consist of three people on the island, in addition to a couple of people on the mainland.

Nevertheless, Aftonbladet has information that the police believe this small network accounts for the majority of drug sales on the island.

The police will consider that these have a very high level of organizational skills, and the police believe they will be helped to package and sell the drugs on the island.

– As we live on an island, it is quite obvious how the drugs get here. Primarily it comes by ferry, but some also comes by post and by plane, says municipal officer in the Gotland police area, Conny Johansson, to Aftonbladet.

It is also suspected that the two networks collaborate with other, well-known criminal networks on the Swedish mainland.

For the time being, the two groups are considered to have little capital for violence, although there is supposed to be some disagreement between the two networks. Nevertheless, they fear the development.

– We have not seen firearms so far, but we certainly believe that this can be escalated. Not least with the developments that have been seen around the country, says Johansson.

In the shadow of Oslo

– Large amount of violence

In a situation report presented in February, Swedish police chief Petra Lundh said that around 14,000 people are assessed by Swedish police to be active in criminal networks in the country.

A further 48,000 are connected to the gangs, according to the police.

– We are talking about a system-threatening crime with a large amount of violence, where witnesses are beaten into silence, social workers are threatened, authorities and political parties are infiltrated, drugs are used, and the elderly and welfare systems are deceived, said Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer when the report was presented.

When the Norwegian police presented this year’s threat report in March, an increased level of conflict from Swedish organized criminals was highlighted as something the police are particularly worried about in this country.

– The police’s assessment is that the threat from organized criminal networks is significant and increasing, due, among other things, to increased professionalisation, cross-border cooperation and increasingly complex business models, the police directorate writes in the threat assessment.

Director of Police Benedicte Bjørnland explained that in this year’s threat assessment, they have chosen to be clearer than before when it comes to warning about the dangers organized crime can pose.

– We have Sweden as neighbours. We see what has happened there and think that now is the time to be clear about what can also develop here if we do not take proper action.