A record-breaking seizure reveals a new trend in the Swedish drug market.
A truck was stopped with almost 60 kilos of “crystal” on its way to Sweden.
– It is marketed as a party drug and it is aimed at younger people, says the head of customs crime.
A German-registered truck with an Italian driver was stopped at the Öresund Bridge on its way into Sweden last summer. The driver had a legal load to be delivered to Halmstad. But Customs staff became suspicious when the man stated that he had a seal.
– A seal is a way of guaranteeing that the contents of a truck or a shipment are intact, says Erik Friberg, head of unit at Customs Crime South.
– The customs official thought it was strange that there was such a big focus on the cargo being sealed. It is not normal procedure for a truck driver. It goes without saying that it is sealed.
The customs inspectors examined the cargo. Hidden behind the legal plastic and metal goods was a record quantity of the party drug 3-CMC, or crystal as it is known.
“The largest fitting of crystal”
The drugs were wedged in bags and boxes in the bed of the truck. 59.8 kilos of crystal with a value of around SEK 18 million. In addition, there were 18.5 kilos of amphetamine, 22.2 kilos of cannabis resin and just over 5 kilos of cannabis oil. The total value of the drugs was estimated to be at least SEK 25 million by Customs Crime.
– This is the largest seizure of crystal we have had. If you break it out, it will also be enormously large doses, hundreds of thousands of individual consumption doses. So it feels extra good to have been able to stop it at the border, says Erik Friberg.
Marketed as a party drug for young people
Kristall is an amphetamine-like drug that is permitted in several European countries. In Sweden, it was classified as a narcotic in 2019. It is a so-called designer drug, which means that the chemical composition of the drug is changed during manufacture in order to be able to circumvent narcotic classification.
– It looks very crystal-like when you see it in real life. It is marketed as a party drug and it is aimed at the younger generation which makes it particularly serious.
– Crystal can cause life-threatening side effects. It is about convulsions, psychosis and brain damage.
New trend in the drug market
The customs office sees crystal as a new trend. The amount of seizures has increased drastically since the drug was classified as a narcotic. For customs, the seizures were more than twice as large in 2022 compared to 2021. From 29 kilos to 67.4 kilos.
– We take more and more crystal both in the passenger flow and in the mail flow. It becomes a trend of increasing demand and increasing smuggling, says Erik Friberg.
The number of seizures made by the police containing 3-CMC also more than doubled between 2021 and 2022. From 407 to 942.
“Twelve-year-olds who used the drug”
The police in Stengungsund, Tjörn and Orust went out in February with a warning about crystal on theirs Facebook page.
It was written that the drug contains substances that cause intoxication, a feeling of euphoria, increased empathy and hallucinations.
Carl Bessinger, municipal police in Stenungsund, says Gothenburg Post that using the crystal once is enough for it to be harmful.
– It spreads very quickly, not only in big cities but also in smaller towns. It is aimed at young people, there are even examples of twelve-year-olds using it in Sweden.
– Parents must pay attention and take it seriously. If they find this, call the police immediately, says Carl Bessinger to GP.
Risks imprisonment and deportation
The Italian truck driver was arrested at the Öresund Bridge in June last year. On Friday, charges were brought against him. He is suspected of extremely serious drug smuggling. He risks four to six years in prison and being deported from Sweden for life.
The customs detective has found DNA from the driver on the bags and boxes that the drugs were stored in. But he denies any crime and says he only drove the cargo.
The recipients of the legal cargo are not suspected of any crime.
