The police believe that a Swedish criminal network is trying to gain a foothold in the capital. Three of the men were arrested outside a hotel in the center of Oslo last week after being spotted by the police. The fourth was arrested in Sweden and extradited to Norway. The men were arrested in connection with two different criminal cases, but all four can be linked to the same criminal network, news is told: “Shottaz” – one of the most notorious criminal networks in Sweden. – Multi-criminal police prosecutor Johannes Hafsahl will not comment on news’s information, but confirms that they link the four to what he describes as a multi-criminal network. – This network has committed many different crimes. Everything from serious drug crime, fraud, theft, possession of firearms and threats, he says. Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / news Earlier this year, it became known that five people the police believe to be connected to the same network had been arrested in Oslo. – We know that they have a great potential for violence. At the same time, we believe that one of the reasons why they have come to Norway is that there has been a very high level of conflict in Sweden, and that they see that the level of conflict is somewhat lower here in Norway, says the police attorney. In Sweden, “Shottaz” is linked to serious drug crime and several gang murders. Weapons and a suitcase full of money Two of the men who were arrested in the center of Oslo last week are charged with robbery and for having been armed with a firearm. When the police raided, they seized a suitcase full of cash and a gun. Both men were imprisoned for four weeks, of which two weeks were spent in solitary confinement. Defendant Alexander Behrang Mardazad Photo: Elden Advokatfirma The man who carried the suitcase and the weapon has explained to the police that it was to be used as props for a music video, the imprisonment order states. He is also said to have explained that he thought the weapon was not real, and that it must have been bought in Greenland in Oslo. The money must have belonged to an acquaintance. Lawyer Alexander Behrang Mardazad tells news that his client does not plead guilty to aggravated robbery or aggravated carrying of a weapon. – But he pleads guilty to having an imitation weapon with him, says the defender. According to the ruling from the district court, the weapon was partially loaded, with a cartridge in the magazine. Defense attorney Frode Sulland Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB Attorney Frode Sulland says that his client has explained that he was in Oslo on a weekend visit. – My client denies criminal guilt after the charge, he says to news. The police tell news that the men had arrived in Norway only a short time before the arrest, and that they currently do not know where the money came from. Wanted for aggravated robbery The two other men who are now in custody were wanted by the police in connection with an aggravated robbery already in December last year. Both men are in their 20s. One of the men was arrested in Sweden and extradited. The victim in the case is said to have been driven around in a car and subjected to serious violence and robbed of an expensive watch. – The police became aware of the robbery when the victim was picked up by an ambulance outside a subway station in the center of Oslo. He was clearly bruised, says Hafsahl. In the ruling from the Oslo District Court, it is stated that there is “concrete evidence” that the men are “connected to a criminal environment”. Defense attorney Cecilie Nakstad Photo: Amanda Iversen Orlich / news Lawyer Cecilie Nakstad is the defense attorney for one of the men charged with robbery. She says that the man does not plead guilty to the charge. – The information that he will belong to a Swedish network that is trying to establish itself in Oslo is unknown to me and was not the subject of the prison meeting, she says to news. Daniel Storrvik says that his client pleads not guilty to the robbery in December last year. His client has not given any explanation in the case, so he cannot comment on why his client was in Oslo. The police have previously seized drugs in Norway which they link to the Swedish network. Photo: The police Extra focus All the four men who have now been arrested have previously been convicted in Sweden, including for drug offences, violence and fraud. In February this year, the police told news that they were concerned that new criminal networks were trying to establish themselves in Oslo. Preventing this therefore became a focus area for the police. – We use a lot of resources to prevent such an establishment, says Hafsahl. The police also link these five men to the network. They were arrested in Oslo before Christmas, charged with drug and violent crimes. This picture is taken from a music video that was recorded in Oslo. Photo: Skjermbilde / news Several of those currently imprisoned in Norway will have central roles in the network. Hafsahl says that they are remanding the men on the basis of the risk of evasion, and that they will keep the accused in custody until the trial. – If they are convicted, they will serve the entire sentence in Norway, before being transported away by the Norwegian police. Published 06.07.2024, at 21.05
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Taken with gun, ammunition and suitcase full of money – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
