– The rubber boat punctured, it could not withstand the weight. And then it started to blow up. We left the boat and went back to the apartment and had a few drinks. This is how the Tromsø man told himself in the trial in Nord-Trom district court. He and six others are charged with serious drug activity as part of an organized criminal network. Only three of them have their case processed now. They have pleaded guilty in whole or in part to having imported 339 kilograms of hashish and 12 kilograms of marijuana into Norway. The introductions have taken place during a number of successful trips on foot over the mountains – several miles – from Sweden and to Norway. And some tolls. This area was used to get across the border from Sweden to Norway unnoticed. Lying in a tent for nine days The trial continues for two weeks. On the first day of court, the prosecutor carefully went through all the documentation and evidence they have found. Among other things, the police have had communication checks on 14 people and reviewed decrypted data from Sky Ecc which shows the dialogue between the network. And they have found evidence of the purchase of a lot of hiking equipment such as tents, GPS, hunting radio, bags and walking poles. It also became known that it was a random alcohol test that was the prelude to the whole case. On Tuesday, the supposed ringleader in Spain told of high pressure to deliver goods and money, despite the fact that the hashish quality was “rubbish”. – I struggled with hashish of poor quality, and had less and less money. And a bigger and bigger problem. At some point I gave up more, and sat in my own cocaine and alcohol intoxication, the man said in court on Tuesday. On Wednesday, one of the co-accused, who was central to the actual importation, tells how they organized and carried the drugs on their backs over the mountain. About a trip where he waited in a tent in Sweden for nine days for a delivery that was supposed to arrive in the post, but had to walk over the mountain with unfinished business. And about an inflatable boat that punctured because it was too heavy. The accused man who explained himself on Wednesday took a selfie in the tent while waiting for a delivery that never came. He was there for nine days before he walked over the mountain empty-handed. Photo: private Three men – and 228 kilos of hash Because after a few road trips and a few small batches of drugs, it got worse. The new smuggling route was described as a “success”. Now they got a new and bigger mission. – I was very surprised by the crowd. I thought maybe we were going to transport 50 kilos, he says. But in an apartment rented via Airbnb on the national border in Sweden, foreign men came with several bags, with a total of 228 kilos of hashish, which were emptied onto the floor. The defendant and two others were to bring this into Norway. Over the mountain. They wrapped the hash in 10-kilo bags with garbage bags, duct tape and twine to make handles. They used an inflatable boat to transport parts of the party to sea across Lake Torneträsk in northern Sweden to save a few kilometres. This is the boat that was used to transport parts of the hashish. Photo: the police But it was too heavy for the boat, so it punctured. They parked and carried the drugs up to a hiding place in the terrain on the Swedish side. Then they went back to the apartment they rented, had a dram and a joint, and prepared to carry the remaining 60 kilos in backpacks the next day. The next day they carried their rucksacks on their backs, and the 10-kilo bags from the depot in their hands, and went up to a new depot at the DNT cabin Lapjord in Norway. – It was heavy, long and steep, he says. The area around this cabin, which is owned by the Norwegian Tourist Association, was used as a dumping ground for the drugs while they transported it down to Bardu. Photo: UT.no The “boss” got drunk in Spain At the same time, the supposed ringleader got drunk in Spain and “swimmed” in alcohol and cocaine. – I thought they would have a hell of a trip down the mountains. He knew that the hash they were now carrying was, in all likelihood, junk and, so to speak, unsellable. But the pressure increased from all sides against the supposed main man. He had not been able to sell everything they had already introduced, and he had to order a new delivery on “krita”. This big delivery was supposed to be the one that fixed the problems. The mountain party had to make several trips to transport down some 10-kilo bags of hashish via Stordalen and to the car park in Bardu in Indre Troms for further transport. Tracking shows where the party has gone. Photo: the police “How was the trip down?” asked prosecutor Kirsti Jullum Jensen when questioning the man who today explains himself. – There was a bit of sulking because we didn’t take so much time to stop and light a fire and grill sausages. He describes that they were tired, and that it boiled over a bit. – We were tired of each other and just wanted to finish the shit. The plan was to pick up the rest of the depot later. But due to the hashish drought in the south, they only had to return to Lapjordhytta a few days later. And now it had started to snow on the mountain. Therefore, they hired an ATV with a trailer to complete the mission. One year later, the police found parts of this hashish in various homes linked to the defendants. It was so bad that it was hidden away. State Attorney Kirsti Jullum Jensen is the prosecutor in the case. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news A donkey in the drug league The criminal network consists, among other things, of a group of childhood friends and family. 13 people have been charged in connection with the professional drug network. One of these has already been sentenced, one has been central but is now dead, two have had their case dropped and a couple have not had their case tried yet. Both of the two who have explained themselves so far have transferred much of the responsibility and “chief role” to the deceased accused. – He ruled with an iron fist. He was in charge and was the boss. He said it was important that I understood it, says the man who explains himself on Wednesday. What role did you play then, asked the prosecutor. – I have thought and many times felt like a donkey on these trips. When he (the deceased) fell ill, I had to take over his role. The trial, which is now underway, will last two weeks. The defendants risk imprisonment of between 3 and 15 years. The man’s defender, Jan Christian Kvanvik and police attorney Vegard Hermann Tobiassen. Photo: Ida Louise Rostad / news
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Carried 228 kilos of hash over the mountain and into Norway – news Troms and Finnmark
