Photo credit: Tullverket, Sverige
During the month of April, the Swedish Customs Service made some of the largest single seizures of cocaine to date. A total of around 460 kilos have been found in storage spaces in two containers in the port of Helsingborg. The value of the seized cocaine exceeds one billion Swedish Kroner in street value.
“Our assessment is that Sweden has become a transit country for drug smuggling. Large consignments of drugs are shipped here to then be distributed further to other countries in Europe. This is a clear example of how organized crime operates, says Erik Friberg, head of unit at the Swedish Customs Service’s criminal department.”
The Swedish Customs Service states that it has recently carried out increased checks in the port of Helsingborg. It was in connection with such controls that the Swedish Customs Service’s staff discovered hidden storage spaces in the floor of two containers from Ecuador. The containers arrived in Sweden at the end of April. In total, approximately 460 kilograms of cocaine divided into smaller packages were found. The cargo spaces were designed so that the cocaine could be taken out without having to open the container itself and unload the legal cargo and these constructions are difficult to detect, as it was mentioned.
“The number of containers coming into the port of Helsingborg is large. It involves a lot of transport of fruit and vegetables from South America, and we know from experience that it is a high-risk flow for smuggling cocaine,” says Erik Friberg.
Currently, no suspects have been arrested, but a preliminary investigation into extremely serious drug smuggling has been launched. The degree of purity of the cocaine is very high, and the value of the seized cocaine therefore exceeds one billion Swedish Kroner in street value, the authority says in its press release.
Source: Tullverket, Sverige.
