The illegal sale of strawberries in Sweden has been linked to a sophisticated network of organized crime, with top gang members allegedly using strawberry stands to launder money. Ismail ‘Strawberry’ Abdo is the alleged leader of a criminal gang suspected of infiltrating the berry market in several places in Sweden, including Uppsala, Örebro, and Helsingborg.
During the month of June, Swedish police officers and environmental inspectors conducted coordinated raids on 15 temporary strawberry sellers in several cities.
In the city of Helsingborg, for instance, the police uncovered a series of violations that resulted in 14 arrests and the confiscation of 180 liters of strawberries.
The raids are part of a broader strategy to combat the criminal economy that has infiltrated Sweden’s berry, fruit, and vegetable markets, fuelling gang wars that have made Sweden the third highest rate of gun murder in Europe.
‘The Strawberry’
Ismail Abdo, alias ‘The Strawberry,’ is a central figure in Sweden’s brutal gang war and is suspected of using strawberry stands to launder dozens of millions of dollars annually.
The Swedish strawberry market is worth about 900 million Swedish krona a year (85 million dollars) without really taking into account informal sellers at various local stands and pop-up markets during a beloved seasonal trade in a country that produces 15 to 20 000 tons of strawberries a year.
The gang’s lucrative business has been accused of being a façade for deeper criminal activities, including arms and drug trafficking, human trafficking, and murder.
Swedish news media indicated that the recently raided businesses lacked proper permits, employed children under the age of ten, and involved young people in activities that indirectly supported gang operations.
Abdo, who moved to Turkey to avoid arrest, was recently captured in the city of Adana and released on bail, despite his suspected involvement in serious crimes and the ongoing conflict with Rawa Majid, also known as the ‘Kurdish Fox’, who is on Interpol’s red list, over control of Sweden’s drug market.
This feud has led to a surge in violence since late 2022, further complicating the efforts to bring Abdo to justice.
But the influence of Abdo and Majid also extends beyond Sweden’s borders, or a mere strawberry market.
Majid’s Foxtrot network and Abdo’s Rumba network are said to have been groups recruited by Iran to carry out attacks on Israeli and Iranian dissidents. Swedish politician Alireza Akhondi, MP for the Center Party, believes that the gangs were linked to Tehran through the drug smuggling activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Swedish and Israeli intelligence agencies accused Iran of using the criminal networks as a proxy to target Israeli interests in Sweden after an explosive device was found inside the grounds of the Israeli embassy in January.
Daniel Stenling, the head of the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) agency’s counterespionage unit, confirmed these accusations against Iran at a news conference in May, claiming that the agency “can establish that criminal networks in Sweden are used as a proxy by Iran.” The agency also asserted that gangs use children in security-threatening activities in Sweden.
Consumers urged to be vigilant
Gunnar Strömmer, Sweden’s Justice Minister, stated, “No one should be able to continue to control and participate in crimes in Sweden from abroad with impunity. The government is doing everything we can to assist in judicial cooperation between countries.”
With the rival gangs suspected of ordering killings in a brutal turf on the country’s drug market and Abdo’s ties to the strawberry business, the Swedish authorities have urged consumers to think twice about where their strawberries come from.
The manager of Maxi ICA hypermarket in Helsingborg, Magnus Carlsson, explained to Helsingborg city’s administration that the criminals are believed to be profiting from the strawberry business by selling cheaper foreign strawberries that are repackaged in Swedish cartons at these markets.
The Swedish Agricultural Agency has urged consumers and young sellers to be vigilant and ensure they are dealing with legitimate vendors to aid in cutting off the revenue sources of gangs. The city of Helsingborg suggested that buyers only swipe for company numbers that start with 123 on Swish, a popular mobile payment system in Sweden, and to be aware that Rådhustorget and Gustav Adolfs torg town squares are the only sales points in the city center where it is allowed to sell strawberries.
An industry of exploited workers
Aftonbladet, one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries, also reported that vulnerable people, often migrants arriving in Sweden, are lured into this lucrative business due to “false promises of jobs and housing.”
Among the findings of the police investigation were children and teens working illegally without employment contracts, migrants without residency permits, minor narcotics offenses, and violations of public order.
Along with organized crime, the berry industry is also tainted with foreign labor exploitation, with berry pickers often being recruited from Thailand and India. According to Expressen newspaper, Thai berry pickers are forced to work seven days a week, sometimes more than 15 hours a day, after having been promised good working conditions, housing, and food.
The exploitation of migrant workers from Asia has become a problem for other Nordic countries, with Finland deciding to stop issuing berry-picking visas to berry pickers from Thailand this year to ensure that they are not targeted by human traffickers.
As the summer strawberry season peaks, the Swedish Agricultural Agency and law enforcement agencies urged both sellers and buyers to ensure the legitimacy of their transactions.
Source link : https://www.newsendip.com/strawberries-sweden-europe-gangs-violence-money-laundering/
Author :
Publish date : 2024-06-27 17:42:08
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.