11/06/2007 00:00:00
More cannabis in Sweden than previously thought
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Swedish authorities have seriously underestimated the size of the
country's cannabis market, according to a new police report. Around
25-30 tonnes of cannabis are sold in Sweden every year, rather than the
3 tonnes previously estimated.
The new figures come in a report from the National Criminal
Investigation Department (Rikskriminalpolisen). Previous estimates have
been based on the consumption of known cannabis users. The latest
information was based on a more wide-ranging survey taking in
information from police forces, prosecutors, customs, coastguard and
forensic experts.
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According to the report, around 140 networks are active in smuggling
cannabis into Sweden. Police and customs have in recent years smashed 19
smuggling rings.
Home-grown marijuana accounts for an increasing amount of the cannabis
consumed in Sweden. Industrial scale cultivation of the plant has been
uncovered at sites in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala and Halmstad in
recent years.
"The amount of cannabis in circulation in Sweden is much higher than we
previously thought," said project leader Johan Nilsson at the National
Criminal Investigation Department.
Nilsson said he wanted to see systematic checks on vehicles on the E4
and E6 motorways as part of efforts to tackle the problem.
http://www.thelocal.se/7565/20070611/
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12608
Author:
The Local via UKCIA
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