Weapons destined to Ukraine by West reaching in hands of Swedish gangs, says report

As the West continues to supply weapons to war-ravaged Ukraine, a report has emerged claiming that the arms being sent to Ukraine are reaching the hands of Swedish gang members. Arms smugglers in Sweden's second-largest city, Gothenburg, have received requests to obtain weapons from war-torn Ukraine for further sale to criminal gangs in the Nordic country, reported Sputnik, citing a Swedish media report.

"Why wouldn't a grenade launcher be interesting for a criminal group in Sweden?" weapons smuggling expert at the Swedish Customs Service, Jesper Liedholm, asked in an interview with the country's media. He also expressed concern that criminals have access to powerful weapons in Sweden, which they may smuggle in, and that virtually any type of weapon provided to Ukraine as Western aid may come back.

Are Swedish gang members receiving weapons destined for Ukraine from West?

International arms smuggling expert at the Flemish Peace Research Institute in Brussels, Nils Duquet stressed that the European nations need to be prepared to see an increase in the supply of smuggled arms due to the Ukraine war and that weapons from the black market can go into the hands of gang members. 

Earlier, Russian political leaders and Interpol officials had also warned that weapons that are being sent to Ukraine may likely slip through on the black market and may reach criminal groups in Eastern Europe and beyond. However, western nations have not paid heed to this advice and continue to send weapons to Ukraine. Earlier in 2022, the Finnish police had reported that a large number of weapons en route to Ukraine have made their way into the Nordic nation. It is pertinent to mention here that Sweden has been witnessing problems with gang violence for the past twenty years. and the problem has escalated and become a major factor of concern for the Swedish government.

According to the report, Swedish authorities had identified nearly 5000 active gang members organizing themselves along ethnic lines. In 2021, Sweden was reported to be the only country in the whole of Europe to record the highest number of fatal shooting cases, making it the country to face the highest number of gun violence in less than a decade. 

Image: AP/Representative