Full timeline of the amphetamine ring’s road to trial: this has happened
February 12, 2021.
The 41-year-old Kristianstad resident is suspected of having been sent, by others in the drug ring, to Åhus and the area outside Ica to make a drug deal. 8.5 kilos of amphetamine will have been handed over to the 37-year-old west coast resident.
March 4, 2021.
The 41-year-old Kristianstad resident is suspected of having been sent to Osby, the area outside Coop. About 30 kilos of amphetamine is handed over to the 37-year-old west coast resident, according to the police's investigation.
March 7, 2021.
A larger amount of amphetamine is believed to be handed over to a buyer in Stockholm.
March 16, 2021.
The police seriously start their efforts to map and surveil the people who are suspected of being part of a giant drug ring. The preliminary investigation is named "Cuba" and the suspected crime in question is exceptionally gross narcotics offence.
In addition to surveillance, the police are given permission to use so-called secret coercive measures. This means, for example, CCTV surveillance, secret data collection and that the police are allowed to collect information regarding the suspects call history as well as wiretap certain calls.
March 20, 2021.
The 41-year-old Kristianstad resident is stopped while driving outside Helsingborg. On the same day, the 41-year-old notifies the other main suspects from Kristianstad in the ring via the Anom app: "They went through everything" and "There’s something very fishy going on. They expected to find something.”
April 2, 2021.
News that the encrypted Sky Ecc app used by the ring to communicate has been deciphered reaches them through various media. They decide to leave the drug house in Osby. The new drug factory will be in a stable building in Blekinge, which the police will begin intensive surveillance on soon after.
March 25, 2021.
The 37-year-old west coast resident and entrepreneur is stopped and arrested at the Gårdstånga interchange. Earlier in the day, civilian police saw two large bags loaded into his Tesla in central Kristianstad. The two Kristianstad residents: the 41-year-old and the 39-year-old are said to have met the west coast resident here. According to the police, the bags contained almost 90 kilos of narcotics.
March 27, 2021.
The police surveil the house in Osby and believe that a 30 litre amphetamine oil delivery is taking place. A guy, who is later ruled out as a suspect, arrives with oil at the house. During questioning, he says that he did not know what kind of oil it was. “I drove there and just dropped it off.”
April 6, 2021.
Under a complicated reconnaissance operation, the police follow a 24-year-old woman from Blekinge and a 29-year-old man from Bromölla municipality as they drive a suspected drug delivery to the Stockholm area. At an industrial area, detectives see black bags transferred from the car that is suspected of delivering drugs, to another car. The man in that vehicle – a 38-year-old from Stockholm – is followed and he is arrested near his home. The police estimate that over 50 kilos of narcotics, mostly amphetamines were in his car. In the 38-year-old's residence, quantities of other drugs are seized.
April 10-13, 2021.
The house in Osby is being cleaned. An ex-couple, aged around 55, are being watched by the detectives; the woman is the one who owns the property. The ex-couple are holding a dustpan and loading things onto a trailer which is driven away.
May 24, 2021.
A suspected drug transfer is made outside the Sweden Rock area in Norje. The detectives claim to see the 29-year-old from Bromölla municipality load several boxes and bags into another car – a Hyundai, which is then stopped at the Gårdstånga interchange. A 48-year-old Helsingborg citizen is identified as the driver. According to the police's calculations, there are approximately 55 kilos of amphetamine in the trunk.
June 7, 2021.
Within the framework of what has been called Operation Trojan Shield, a large number of coordinated house searches and arrests are carried out in 16 countries. Over 800 people are arrested.
November 29, 2022.
Charges and material from the preliminary investigation are brought in – about 17,000 pages. 13 people are charged with exceptionally gross narcotic offences. The majority of the defendants have been locked up in custody for over 1.5 years.
December 12, 2022.
The trial starts in a secure courtroom in Malmö. Before the trial began, notice was given that the negotiating timetable includes 58 days spread over many months.
Three prosecutors and up to 20 lawyers will participate during the negotiations. For example, the 40-year-old identified as the ringleader will have two lawyers.
