The international operation has been codenamed "Candy". After a lengthy investigation, the police were able to strike simultaneously in Sweden, Spain and Thailand. Previously, the authorities have also carried out operations in Australia and Germany.
A large part of the criminal activity is said to have involved smuggling drugs into Australia, driven by high prices and high demand in the country. The network has consisted of several companies, many in the craft industry, which have masked the drug deals and laundered money.
13 Swedes have been arrested during the operation.
- The vast majority of them have flown under our radar before, says Tomas Stakeberg Jansson, operations manager for Operation "Candy", to TT.
"Good information"
It originated with two phones seized in a small town in western Sweden in the fall of 2023. The police were able to break the encryption and gain access to information that they had not expected in the local context.
There was very good information on the phones. We were able to start mapping drug crime all over the world.
A network of black banks has also been found, says Stakeberg Jansson.
That's what has brought us here today.
In parallel, the police ran Operation "Pandora", in which three Swedes were arrested in Thailand. "Pandora" is connected to "Candy", the police said at a press conference in Stockholm.
"Strong signal"
The three people arrested in Thailand are suspected of serious drug crimes, among other crimes.
"We have very convincing evidence that they have been conducting large-scale drug sales on the Swedish market. As a result, we have managed to suppress a very high proportion of drug sales online," says Johan Dire, head of the investigation section in the Greater Gothenburg police area, at the press conference.
The prosecution is working to have the individuals extradited to Sweden.
Although the network is not believed to be directly linked to Swedish crime networks such as Foxtrot and Rumba, traces of them have been found in the investigation. More arrests may be made.
Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) tells TT that the operation is "a strong signal to Swedish criminals who are in other countries."
You cannot hide, you cannot escape. The Swedish police, together with the police in other countries, will find you, arrest you, seize your assets and ensure that you are brought to justice.
