The man acquired Sweden’s oldest tanker, dating from 1913, a vessel no longer classified as seaworthy, and used it to smuggle diesel and household heating oil into Sweden.

Police arrested the man in the port town of Halmstad in south-western Sweden in the beginning of September shortly after he sailed the ancient vessel from Denmark laden with 144,000 litres of oil.

This is not however the first time the former police officer has fallen foul of the law. He has already served a lengthy prison sentence for armed robbery. He committed the offence while still serving as a police officer and even took part in the ensuing police chase.

The man has now been sentenced to a further custodial sentence for offences which include the smuggling of a total of 1.2 million tonnes of diesel, serious tax offences, accountancy crimes and handling stolen goods.

The prosecutor was not satisfied with the sentence.

“I think that there is scope under current practice for him to receive a couple more years,” prosecutor Mats Forsén said to the Dala-Demokraten newspaper.

But Forsén also added that he did not intend to appeal the sentence.