Swedish police are on alert. More than 600 Swedish gang members are out of the country, hiding in as many as 57 different countries. According to the National Operations Department (NOA) report, gangsters, though far from Sweden, proceed to actively conduct criminal activities.
Most common countries with Swedish criminals
According to the NOA report, the most popular places to hide gangsters are Spain, Turkey and the Balkan countries. another countries where they operate include:
- Poland
- Portugal
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- United arabian Emirates (including Dubai)
- Iraq
- Iran
- Colombia
Many of these countries are strategical locations on the map of global crime, e.g. countries in South America are key transit points for drugs.
Swedes among global crime leaders
Foreign gangsters are mostly Swedes or people with close ties to Sweden. As Hakan Wall of the NOA emphasizes, out of 600 people, as many as 150 are detained or wanted internationally. These gangsters belong to the highest or mediate levels of criminal organizations.
They do not halt operating after leaving Sweden. On the contrary, they are active gang leaders who give orders from abroad to their subordinates, including ordering murders. They cooperate with regional and local criminal groups in Sweden, which maintains a advanced level of crime in the country.
What do Swedish gangsters do abroad?
The main areas of their activities are:
- Drug trafficking
- Violence
- money laundering
- arms trafficking
- fraud
A peculiarly crucial part of their efforts is to organise the spread of drugs from South America to Europe. Criminals besides choose abroad locations to avoid the Swedish judiciary, which is increasingly working with Europol and Interpol.
Threats for Sweden
According to Swedish police chief Petra Lundh, criminal activity outside the country has a direct impact on the interior situation of Sweden. In SVT's "30 Minutes" programme, Lundh stressed that global crime has increased integration and segregation problems. As she noted:
"We have received many people and most agree that integration has failed. We have segregation, delicate areas, we have people who may have come with an honorary culture or come from clan society and do not trust the authorities.”
The year 2024 brought 186 shootings in which 31 people were killed. The increasing number of young people active in crime is besides worrying – the number of children suspected of execution has tripled.
Double citizenship and legal challenges
One of the key problems facing Swedish law enforcement authorities are criminals with dual citizenship. In specified cases, extradition or bringing suspects to court becomes more complicated. Even cooperation with Europol and Interpol is not always adequate to effectively hold them accountable.
Why do gangsters leave Sweden?
According to the NOA report, going abroad is simply a deliberate criminal strategy. Not only do they want to escape justice, but they besides want to run their business from places where they can number on greater logistical and geographical support. An example is Spain or Turkey, where a large number of migrants from different countries let criminals to become more easy active in the community and to proceed their activities.
Conclusions and future prospects
International crime is increasingly affecting Sweden. Gangsters operating abroad are inactive dangerous leaders of their organizations, and their actions have real consequences for public security. The future shows that the fight against this phenomenon will require enhanced global cooperation and the improvement of more effective legal mechanisms.
Sweden is faced with a challenge to strengthen both national and global tools to fight crime, which will effectively deal with global gangs.
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"Integration Failed". Members of Swedish gangs hide in Poland, among others
