The police have now identified 700 gang criminals abroad who control crime in Sweden.
These are people who may have left the country to avoid the police or to avoid being murdered themselves. Previously, they often fled to Spain - but today, many are instead in countries such as Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.
You can sit in Erbil in Iraq and order a murder in Borås, says Stefan Hector.
We have found that if they go out into the world, we must do so too.
"Sitting arrested"
During the spring, Swedish police have traveled to several of these countries to build relationships.
The starting point is that we have common problems. They are a problem for Sweden, but they also create problems in the countries where they are, says Stefan Hector.
He points to an example of how a Swedish gang leader was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad, Iraq, in early 2024.
And already, the Swedish police claim to see some successes as a result of the cooperation.
There are a number of people who are arrested in these countries who are key players in organized crime. They are not on the loose now, says Hector.
Since there are ongoing operations, he gives no further details.
We have thrown some gravel in the machinery, and we have also seen that parts of this chain from clients to perpetrators have a harder time functioning.
Among other things, people linked to Foxtrot leader Rawa Majid are said to have been affected.
Getting to him is difficult. But we have thrown gravel in the machinery. He no longer has access to all the people he had before, says Hector.
Sharing red notices
He states that everything happens according to the applicable rules within the Interpol system.
Red notices mean that you are internationally wanted and should be detained in your absence. So we share red notices and highlight those who are particularly dangerous.
The number of people arrested abroad has increased in the past year. So far this year, the police have arrested 124 people on international warrants, which can be compared to 86 during the same period last year.
It doesn't have to be all organized crime. But among these figures, there are "high value targets", people who are very valuable to organized crime, says Hector.
Preferably, the police want the criminals to be prosecuted in Sweden. But many are citizens of the countries in question and are not extradited.
Anja Haglund/TT
Fact: Gang criminals abroad
TT
The police's National Operational Department (Noa) presented a survey last autumn that showed that around 600 people spread across 57 countries are committing serious crimes in Sweden.
Now the figure has increased to 700, as the police, in collaboration with other authorities, have identified even more.
It involves actors in the top and middle layers of the criminal hierarchy who are either Swedish citizens or have strong ties to Sweden.
They are found partly in Europe, in countries such as Spain and the Balkans, partly in the Middle East, North Africa, and also some in South America, according to the police.
