Strömmer: Police and Political Pressure
Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

Strömmer: Police and Political Pressure Key in Arresting Swedish Gang Leaders

The arrest of the Swedish gang leader in Mexico is primarily a success for the police, according to Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (The Moderate Party). But also the government is putting pressure on countries to prioritize Swedish cases. Next on the agenda for Strömmer is a trip to Morocco.

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Mikael ”Greken” Tenezos is not the only Swedish gang leader who has been arrested abroad recently. It has also happened in, among other places, Turkey, Iraq, Austria and Spain. So far this year, 180 gang criminals have been arrested abroad, of which 30-40 are what the police call "prioritized actors", according to Strömmer.

It is completely central that we now find ways to get to them, says Strömmer about gang leaders who are sitting abroad and organizing serious crime in Sweden.

One way is to enter into cooperation agreements with priority countries. Recently, this has happened with the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Colombia. Recently, Strömmer also met his Spanish counterpart and representatives from Iraq, and the next trip goes to Morocco.

The arrests are a result of a deliberate grip from the police, the prosecutor and the politics side, believes Strömmer.

It often involves countries where this combination of pressure from both the authorities' side and from politics is what is required, for example, for your cases to be prioritized, he says.

According to Strömmer, it often involves people who the countries "would like to get rid of".

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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