Even police with years of experience in narcotics seizures say they’re amazed by the vast quantities of drugs they’ve recently found stored in Oslo. An intense search for those behind the drugs flowing into Norway has led to the discovery of more than 10 storage sites around the capital and several arrests.
Raids on suspected storage sites resulted in the seizures of around 10 kilos of heroin, more than 10 kilos of amphetamines and several hundred kilos of hashish in the past few months, reports newspaper Aftenposten .
The seizures come in addition to the 222 kilos of amphetamines and methamphetamines, 1.56 tons of cannabis, 94 kilos of heroin and 52 kilos of cocaine seized by customs inspectors so far this year.
“The narcotics situation in Oslo is very bad,” Einar Aas, who leads the Oslo Police District’s unit probing organized crime, told Aftenposten . “Even veterans in the police with 30 years in the game are surprised by the quantities of drugs in the capital now.”
Since late June, Oslo police have used a wide range methods to track down the drugs and those involved in the drug trade. They concentrated on the area best known for drug dealing, from Vaterland up along the Aker River from Grønland to Grünerløkka.
Investigations, undercover agents, informants and other methods have led to raids, sometimes armed, on around a dozen sites. The raids have resulted in seizures of the drugs, cash and arrests of around 90 persons, both Norwegians and foreigners.
Street sales continue, however, and the seizures haven’t raised prices, leading the police to believe the drug supply continues to flow into Norway.
Police thought they’d uncover a monopoly on the trade, with only one or two major organizations behind it. Instead they’ve arrested a diverse group of drug dealers hailing from North Africa, West Africa, the Balkan countries, the Baltic countries, the Middle East, Pakistan and the Netherlands in addition to Norwegians.
Aas told Aftenposten the investigation will continue. “I think the narcotics trade is the glue to organized crime, but I think we can crack it,” Aas said. “That’s the goal.”
