The police seized quantities of the narcotics-classified Tramadol, smuggled into the country by a 44-year-old hairdresser from India.
“It’s one of the largest operations we’ve ever done in Sweden,” said Cecilia Fant, an inspector with the national police intelligence service, to the Kriminalkanalen.se website.
In most cases, police uncovered drugs and in one raid a weapon was also discovered.
The operation – which went by the name Plattång (‘Pliers’) – was directed at customers of the 44-year-old man who sold the addictive opiate over the internet.
“It is important to get this drug which has previously been borderline illegal,” Fant added.
The majority of those on whom the police carried out their raids were between 16 and 25-years-old.
All 447 young people are now suspected of narcotics offences of varying grades of severity.
Last week the 44-year-old was convicted by Eskilstuna District Court in central Sweden to 10 years in prison for serious drugs offences.
The man sold the Tramadol openly via a homepage entitled “World of Tramadol” over a period of several years.
Tramadol, which was classified as a narcotic in Sweden on December 1, 2007, is similar to morphine and has become popular among young people.