The effort has been directed towards organized theft, smuggling, and organized crime, and of the total 57 arrested, 22 were in Sweden.
We know what problems we have in Sweden regarding thefts from forestry machines, GPS from agriculture, car parts, luxury cars that are stolen. This problem is extensive and we see it in several of the participating countries, says the operation leader Mikael Eliasson.
During the operation, over 20,000 individuals and 15,000 vehicles in ten countries were checked. The operation went on for "a few days" and focused primarily on ferry traffic but also on other border crossings such as bridges, road networks, and airports.
Several Swedish authorities participated in the operation, including the Tax Agency, which seized goods worth five million kronor.
To a high degree, it has been stolen bicycles. But it has also involved cash, watches, cars, boats, a truck, and quad bikes. It's quite difficult to value the goods we have seized.
Around 100 reports of serious crimes have been filed for aggravated theft, receiving stolen goods, environmental crimes, money laundering, and serious drug offenses. The police also confiscated several kilograms of narcotics during the operation.
The operation involved countries around the Baltic Sea plus Norway and Iceland. In Sweden, the most people were arrested during the operation, followed by Denmark.
