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The gang is suspected of controlling drug trafficking in Vårberg, south of Stockholm.
They more or less took over some places. Drugs were stored in one apartment building and clients were received in another apartment building, according to the prosecutor.
– These properties have been occupied. They have taken over the basement of ordinary residents and manipulated drugs there, says prosecutor Paulina Brandberg of the National Unit against Organized and International Crime. She leads the preliminary investigation together with prosecutor Lars ubergren, who has led the indictment.
Prosecutor: been in an emergency
What the gang did not know is that the police secretly intercepted the members, and several raids were carried out at dawn on February 17.
23 people are currently being processed. Twelve of the defendants are suspected of belonging to the group and, first, the suspicions relate to a serious drug offense. The police seized around seven kilos of cannabis and just over 130 grams of cocaine.
The person designated as the leader is a 27-year-old man. In addition to being prosecuted for a felony drug offense, he is also charged with human trafficking by two 17-year-olds, who are said to have served as runners.
– We believe that the recruitment of youth in dangerous gang settings is covered by human trafficking offenses. However, it has not been tested before, says Paulina Brandberg, and develops:
– We claim that these guys have been recruited for this business and that they have been exploited. They have always been sent to receive clients and sell drugs. Furthermore, we affirm that this has meant that they have been in an emergency situation because they have been in a criminal environment that is dangerous for them.
The two 17-year-olds were stabbed.
She points out that both 17-year-olds were stabbed in January in Vårby.
A 17-year-old was stabbed in the neck and temple, while the other was stabbed in the neck and back, among other places. A 24-year-old man was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for, among other things, two cases of aggravated assault.
– In our research, the two 17-year-olds have chosen not to participate, says Paulina Brandberg.
It also says the grouping may be linked to other violent crimes. One of the people now prosecuted is a 20-year-old man. In January, she tried to stab another man to death, and the 20-year-old was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
At the trial, it was used as material evidence of the secret interception.
The new trial against the group is expected to last until mid-December. The prosecutor, among other things, has called a police officer as a witness.
– It will tell about the situation in Vårberg before and after the arrests in February. Police believe the area has become significantly quieter after the arrests, says Paulina Brandberg.
The lawyer: an attempt by the prosecutor
Lawyer Torben Setterlund defends the 27-year-old.
– My client denies all criminal suspicions. He has been singled out as a leader during the preliminary investigation, but that rejects him entirely, the lawyer says.
On the 27-year-old who is being prosecuted for human trafficking, he says:
– My impression is that it is an attempt by the prosecutor to be innovative. But I find it hard to believe it lasts.
The other defendants in the group also deny the crime, according to the prosecutor.
