The customs agency is concerned about security after the entry of Swedish gang crime in northern Norway – news Troms and Finnmark

The case in summary: Swedish criminal networks are considered the biggest crime threat in Troms and Finnmark. Customs is concerned about the safety of its employees. More often than not, they find weapons and experience criminals running away from controls. There is a significant amount of drug trafficking in the north. It is assumed that criminal networks have an overview of when the customs officers have controls at the border. The police in Troms have seen an increase in drug crime since 2018. They believe this is because Northern Norway has become an attractive market for Swedish criminal networks. There have been several cases where young people have been recruited into criminal circles. The police fear that this will increase. Utekontakten in Tromsø calls for early preventive work to prevent the recruitment of young people into criminal networks. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s ​​journalists before publication. – The environment has become tougher. They show that by having weapons with them. We have found sawed-off shotguns and knives. In some cases, they run out of control. That’s what Tom Olsen says. He is an area manager in the Customs Office in Troms and Finnmark. The police in Troms issued a strong warning on Wednesday. They consider Swedish criminal networks to be the biggest crime threat in the district. The customs office shares the police’s concern. They fear for the safety of the employees. – We are the front line at the border. We have noticed for a long time that this environment has hardened. – There are tougher guys who come with contraband. When we find weapons, and they initiate dangerous situations by running away from controls, it is clear that we are concerned about the safety of our own servicemen, says Olsen. Tom Olsen is area manager in the Customs Agency in Troms and Finnmark Photo: Synne Somby / news Can be monitored The area manager in the Customs Agency says they try as best they can to secure working conditions. – But it is challenging. We cooperate well with the police, and we always have drug smuggling as our first priority when we stand at the border. He wants more employees to take care of his task as community protector at the border. Olsen does not want to point to a specific environment, but he says they see a significant amount of drug trafficking in the north. The customs office in Troms and Finnmark has controls at the border with Finland and Sweden. Photo: Eilif Aslaksen / news – They are largely aware of where the risk gives them the greatest chance of succeeding in a smuggling attempt. He does not rule out that the networks have an overview of when the customs officers have controls at the border. – We know from other places in the country that people are being monitored. It would be naive to believe otherwise here, says Olsen. – Drugs more expensive in the north Police inspector in Troms, Yngve Myrvoll, says they have a theory as to why the Swedish criminal networks have now come to northern Norway. In a recent and extensive investigation, eight people were arrested. Large quantities of drugs, money and weapons were seized. – We have had intelligence information about this since 2018. We have gradually seen that it has been established more and more. Troms and the whole of northern Norway has become an attractive market for these players, he says. Police attorney Simon Nystuen and police inspector Yngve Myrvoll at Wednesday’s press conference. Photo: Aurora Ytreberg Meløe Like the Norwegian Customs, they see several reasons for the Swedish entry. – In a situation where the threat picture is quite strong in central Eastern Norway and in Sweden, there is not so strong competition in the north. We have a hunch that the prices for drugs are higher in Northern Norway. Swedish masterminds In addition to the arrests and seizures made this year, previous seizures can also be linked to Swedish criminal networks. In October 2022, a young Tromsø man was sentenced to prison for four and a half years, for possession of more than 40 kilograms of hashish and a smaller quantity of other narcotic substances. In the same case, a local sixteen-year-old was sentenced to a youth sentence. On 15 May 2022, two teenagers from Tromsø will have received 37 kilograms of hash from Sweden. Here is a picture from what will be the handover. Photo: Tipser/politiet The two young people were stopped on Tromsøya, in a taxi, with a suitcase full of hashish. They had received the suitcase earlier in the day, from two Swedish criminals. The police in Troms confirm to news that this is one of the cases they believe has links to heavy, Swedish criminal networks. One of the masterminds was sentenced to more than seven years in prison by Nord-Troms and Senja district court. He has previously been sentenced to prison for serious drug offenses in Sweden. In the Swedish court documents, which news has gained access to, it appears that he has clear connections to key people in the Foxtrot network. Here we see parts of the fitting of 37.66 kilos. If you assume that a gram of hashish costs NOK 100, it has a street value of NOK 3.7 million. Photo: The police Should be looking for Santa In December 2022, a kindergarten in Tromsø municipality was on a trip. They were supposed to be looking for Santa, but found something completely different: A bag with 4,795 grams of amphetamine, 695 grams of cocaine and 562 grams of hashish. Three men were eventually convicted in the case. In the verdict, it emerged that one of the convicts had no particular connection to Tromsø. In his statement, the person claimed that he came to town to collect money for drug sales that others had made. He would not say who was behind the turnover. The police believed that electronic traces showed that he himself had previously sold drugs in Sweden. The police in Troms confirm to news that this case can also be linked to heavy Swedish criminal networks. Parts of the drugs that were in the bag were vacuum packed, and had their own “brand name”. Photo: The police – Must start with 5th graders The police are clear that they are now afraid that more young people may be tried to be recruited into heavy, criminal circles. They have already seen examples of that. Mayor of Tromsø, Gunnar Wilhelmsen (Ap) is concerned about the situation described by the police. – The entry of criminal activity is very serious. The police have had a good overview, and they have the expertise to investigate this type of crime. But it requires resources, and the granting authorities must take responsibility for that, he says. The Tromsø mayor says they must work preventively to prevent young people from being recruited by the networks. Among other things, the U16 group and the outside contact play important roles there. Mayor of Tromsø, Gunnar Wilhelmsen. Photo: Eskild Johansen / news Ørjan Holstad works for the U16 group in Tromsø municipality. He says he is happy that the police have gone out and warned against the crime that has made its way into the city. But he is clear that they must start the preventive work much earlier. The heavy, criminal networks have become professionals at taking young people with them. – We should start already in the 5th grade. Many times we have seen that we have started too late to prevent recruitment. We must not underestimate the age, because 5th graders can be recruited. Ørjan Holstad, leader of the U16 group in Tromsø. Photo: Christian Kråkenes / CHRISTIAN KRAKENES Holstad says adults must dare to talk to children about the consequences of criminal acts. – In any case, you have to work with attitudes from that age. They need safe adults who work preventively with them. Published 13.06.2024, at 20.11 Updated 13.06.2024, at 20.53



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