Customs officers in Gothenburg have unravelled a scheme that saw cocaine being smuggled into the country from Costa Rica. The gang used stolen identification from pensioners and the disabled to receive drug parcels.
Ten members of the mob have been remanded in custody in connection with the case, according to newspaper Göteborgs-Posten.
They were caught with the help of stolen identities from pensioners and people with disabilities who received home-help services in the Gunnared area of the city.
“They even used a dead person’s identification in connection with payments being sent to central America,” customs investigator Dick Henry told GP.
The drugs were packed in small amounts in bottles of nail varnish and sent from Costa Rica to Sweden. It is not yet clear how long the scheme has been running nor the quantity or value of the drugs seized.
During the investigation, Swedish Customs (Tullverket) infiltrated the home-help services and tracked a 36-year-old woman, employed to help with cleaning and cooking duties for the elderly and infirm.
On numerous occasions she signed for parcels, using the address of one of her clients and his driving licence as identification.
The newspaper adds that many members of the gang, who are Gothenburgresidents, have recently moved to the city from an unspecified Caribbeancountry.
”The gang leader was registered in Sweden as recently as March 2009,” Dick Henry added.
A 32-year old man was arrested in January suspected of being the brains behind the scheme, which is believed to be part of a wider international cartel.
TT/Christine Demsteader
The Local | Sweden
