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In September 2019, a man armed with a pistol approaches the entrance to a popular nightclub in Märsta. The man raises his gun and shoots. A man in the crowd in front of him collapses, shot in the stomach. Another runs off to the club, bleeding from his foot.
The act is a long series of serious crimes that have been linked to the Märstan network in the past five years, according to police. The 23-year-old alleged shooter is known to be angry with the owners of the nightclub, who portrayed him and other drug traffickers. But like many other investigations against the network, the assassination attempts outside the nightclub will end in an acquittal. Despite several witnesses, no one dares to point out the 23-year-old defendant at the end, not even the security guards who were nearby.
As many Another of the roughly 50 criminal gangs in the Stockholm region, the Märstan network has managed to build a violent capital that has scared the surrounding area into silence. For a long time, society was unable to mobilize any counterforce; When the local police station closed in 2014, the growing community near Arlanda airport was instead left in the lurch in favor of other residential areas where problems were seen as more acute. This made Märsta a perfect place for criminals to work, something the 39-year-old leader of the network has interestingly described in police interrogations.
“You’re safe there,” the man said when in 2017 he was suspected of hiding a southern Stockholm assassination squad in the city.
In recent years, several explosions have been linked to the Märsta network. In the fall of 2019, an explosion made its way to a hair salon. The police then worked on the hypothesis that it was extortion.
Photo: Magnus Hallgren
But, after years of bombings, arson, extortion and unsolved shootings, the local Sollentuna area police decided earlier this year to roll back the network. “Operation Gimle” was launched and the Municipality of Sigtuna gave its unconditional support. More and more police officers appeared on the streets of Märsta. And even more scouts managed to stay hidden while documenting the limbs’ movements.
The signs indicate that effort can lead to success. The 39-year-old leader, who is practically unpunished, will soon be charged with serious fraud and has left the country pending. His brother, in turn, has been sentenced to a long prison term for planting a bomb in front of a restaurant. And the leader’s childhood friend got stuck last week, suspected of hiding drugs and weapons from the network.
Even the 23-year-old mentioned above finally appears to be on his way to jail. On Thursday, he is on trial for hitting a cleaning lady with a baseball bat, hanging out with a 17-year-old and selling alcohol to young people. And perhaps the culture of silence will also be broken. No fewer than eight witnesses have been called to court to report on the 23-year-old’s alleged crime.
Read more:
Criminal gangs are linked to attacks on the municipality and the police
Car explosion and fires in Märsta
