– I am not aware of indictments in Norway of the scope we have in this case. That’s what State Attorney Marit Formo at the National State Attorney’s Office says. She is prosecuting the case, which starts on Tuesday in the Oslo district court. Seven men are on trial under the “mafia section” for extensive drug crime. The police believe they have smuggled tons of drugs into the country over a long period of time. – We believe that all seven defendants have had different roles in an organized criminal group that has run an extensive and professional drug business, says Formo. Public prosecutor Marit Formo believes that the seven defendants have been behind an extensive drug operation over a long period of time. Photo: Tom Balgaard/news She says that the group has been behind a long series of imports of large quantities of drugs into Norway. Encrypted messages The group was exposed after French police managed to gain access to the encrypted communication service Sky ECC. There, criminals believed they could send messages to each other without risk of detection. But after reviewing the material from French colleagues, the Norwegian police believe they have identified a number of people and drug trafficking. – It is about clear and distinct communication both about drug parties and settlements for drugs, says Formo. She says that Norwegian police, through an extensive investigation, have demonstrated who is communicating in the encrypted messages, and which criminal acts can be inferred from the material. – Pictures of money and drugs are also sent. In addition, there are several people who have admitted to having used Sky ECC for drug delivery and there is also several other pieces of evidence in the case. Defenders skeptical of the evidence But several defenders are skeptical about the use of the material from Sky ECC in court. One of them is Marius Dietrichson. He defends one of the defendants – who does not plead guilty and will not explain himself to the police either. One of the defenders, Marius Dietrichson, believes there are too many unanswered questions for the material from the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC to be used as evidence. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer – This is the result of a French police operation, where they have emptied a large number of phones, also in Norway. If we do not learn more about how the evidence was obtained, then there are so many unanswered questions related to this that it is not justifiable to use it, he says. Øyvind Bratlien is defending one of the other defendants. He, too, is skeptical of the evidence. Defense attorney Øyvind Bratlien is skeptical about the use of the material from the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC in court. The police believe there is important evidence against his client. Photo: Andreas de Brito Jonassen / news – He pleads not guilty. The indictment is essentially based on evidence obtained from Sky ECC, which we believe is still disputed as to whether it can be used as evidence or not, says Bratlien. – So your client thinks he has nothing to do with this? – He has not taken a stand on anything, he just does not plead guilty. Gold mine for the police The case is a result of “Operation Hubris”, which Kripos started in 2018 after gaining access to the material from the French police. For the police in Norway, the material they have received from the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC may have become a kind of “gold mine”. The image of white powder is from the material seized by the police. Photo: The police – There is no doubt that this material has formed the basis for solving a large number of criminal offenses and provided the basis for a number of criminal cases here in Norway, says Formo. In addition to the seven who are currently indicted, the police have charged two people who are in Morocco, and who the police believe are behind the case. According to State Attorney Formo, they have had a central role in the organization of the importation and distribution of large quantities of drugs, including hard substances. They are now wanted internationally.
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Seven on trial in one of the biggest drug cases in Norwegian history – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
