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Five charged for heroin smuggling

Five men were charged in Malmö on Friday for transporting 19 kilogrammes of heroin, half of which was confiscated in Serbia.

Published: 28 November 2008 17:10 CET

The heroin taken in Serbia was being transported to Sweden by automobile. The rest was found by police during a raid at a bus garage in Norrköping in central Sweden.

According to prosecutor Kristina Ehrenborg Staffas, most of the drug was headed for the Nordic market.

When the drug runner was arrested in Nis, Serbia on September 9th of last year, the two men behind the smuggling, a 26-year-old and a 34-year-old, immediately started planning for a new shipment to Sweden.

The heroin was sent via bus from a company owned by a 53-year-old man in Norrköping.

When the bus, which transported passengers between Sweden and the Balkans, arrived in Norrköping on November 16th last year, a special police task force from Malmö raided the bus garage, located in one of the city’s industrial areas.

Two men were arrested, the bus owner’s 27-year-old son and a 47-year-old man who was set to offload the shipment.

At the time, the 9.9 kilogramme shipment of heroin had been transferred to the 47-year-old’s car for further transport to Norway.

“An arrest warrant has been issued for a man in Norway who is also suspected of being involved,” Ehrenborg Staffas told the TT news agency.

On the same day as the raid, the 26-year-old and 34-year-old who had arranged the shipment were arrested in Malmö.

About a month later, the 53-year-old bus company owner was also arrested.

All five have been in custody since the time of their arrests.

The action was spearheaded by police from Skåne county in southern Sweden and carried out in cooperation with the National Criminal Investigation Department (Rikskriminalpolisen) and the narcotics division of the Östergötland country police.

A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021.

A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

The Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) are set to engage in coalition talks in a bid to become the next German government. And the future of cannabis will likely be one of the topics to be thrashed out.

In drug policy, the three parties are not too far apart in their positions. So it’s possible that the drug could be decriminalised.

However, nothing is set in stone and the parties still haven’t come to a common line on the question of where and to what extent cannabis could be accessed.

The leader of the Liberal FDP, Christian Lindner, has now come out in favour of allowing cannabis products such as hashish to be sold in a controlled manner.

Consumers should be allowed “to purchase a quantity for their own use, for example, in a pharmacy after health education,” Lindner told a live broadcast on German daily Bild on Sunday.

Lindner said he was sceptical about the sale in “coffee shops” according to the Dutch model. “I am in favour of controlled distribution, and therefore health education must be able to take place,” he said.

READ MORE: Patients in Germany still face hurdles accessing medical marijuana

People in the Netherlands can access cannabis products in coffee shops under the country’s tolerant drugs policy. However coffee shops have to follow certain strict conditions. For instance they are not allowed to sell large quantities to an individual.

Lindner said his main aims were about “crime and health prevention” and not with “legalising a right to intoxication”.

It’s not clear if Lindner advocates for prescription-only cannabis for medical use, or an over-the-counter model.

The FDP previously said that they they are in favour of the creation of licensed shops. Their manifesto highlights the health benefits, tax windfalls and reallocation of police resources that legalisation would create.

The Green party also want licensed shops, as well as a whole new approach to drug control starting with the controlled legalisation of marijuana. The Greens state that “strict youth and user protection” would be the centre point of their legislation and hope to “pull the rug from under the black market”.

The SPD also want a reform of Germany’s prohibition stance – but are more cautious than the smaller parties on the legalisation aspect. They would like to initially set up pilot projects.

READ ALSO: Why Germany could be on the brink of legalising cannabis

Controversial topic

So far, the sale of cannabis is officially banned in Germany. Possession of cannabis is also currently illegal across the entire country. Those caught carrying the substance can face anything from a fine to five years in jail.

However, the justice system generally looks away if you are caught carry small quantities for personal use unless you have a previous conviction.

The definition of personal use differs from state to state, with Berlin having the most liberal rules and Bavaria the tightest.

It is estimated that around four million people regularly use cannabis in Germany.

Representatives of police unions in Germany have warned against legalisation. They argue that cannabis is an often trivialised drug that can lead to considerable health problems and social conflicts, especially among young people.

Oliver Malchow, from the GdP police union, said that “it doesn’t make any sense to legalise another dangerous drug on top of alcohol”.

The current Ministry of Health also continues to oppose the legalisation of cannabis, a spokesperson for Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) made clear. Cannabis is a dangerous substance and therefore legalisation is not advisable, the spokesman said.

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