A gang member linked to the political turmoil within the Social Democrats in Botkyrka has been charged with drug offenses. The man, part of a local criminal network, was caught with cocaine and is suspected of extensive drug sales in Stockholm. The case has reignited discussions about gang infiltration in Swedish politics.
Gang Member Involved in Botkyrka Political Strife Charged Again
Gang Member Involved in Botkyrka Political Strife Charged Again
A gang member alleged to have participated in the local Social Democratic conflict in Botkyrka has been charged with drug offenses.
"We specialize in high-end service and quality product," read a message sent to potential cocaine buyers in the Stockholm area in December 2023. According to police, the sender is a 30-year-old man from Alby in Botkyrka municipality.
He and his accomplice were caught with 62 grams of cocaine when police, on another mission, stumbled upon them by chance.
Findings in the men's phones suggest, according to the police investigation, that they conducted extensive cocaine sales to users across large parts of Stockholm.
They have now been charged with drug offenses. The prosecutor has also requested the forfeiture of 233,000 SEK in cash, believed to be proceeds from crime. Both deny the charges.
The 30-year-old is reportedly part of the local criminal network in Alby.
"Foolish of Kristersson"
Ten months before the bust, he was widely discussed, albeit anonymously, in the debate about the internal Social Democratic conflict in Botkyrka. According to sources, including Expressen, he was one of those recruited to vote out the then-municipal council chairperson Ebba Östlin.
Last week, the Botkyrka affair resurfaced when Ulf Kristersson debated Magdalena Andersson on P1 Morgon on Sveriges Radio. When discussing crime, the Prime Minister mentioned how gangs infiltrate various societal structures.
"The Social Democrats in Botkyrka, I just say. Deep into established Swedish structures, we now have serious crime. It must be rooted out," he said.
The Social Democratic leader responded:
"They searched for any real basis behind that claim, and they haven't found it. So maybe it's foolish of Ulf Kristersson, who is actually the Prime Minister of Sweden, to spread that rumor."
The Strife in Botkyrka
The conflict within the Social Democrats in Botkyrka was preceded by the municipality, led by Social Democratic municipal council chairperson Ebba Östlin, closing several youth centers run by ABF Botkyrka-Salem.
A report had shown that convicted individuals had been allowed to work with children and that gang criminals had been present at the youth centers.
A leading figure within ABF Botkyrka-Salem is said to have been instrumental in the internal Social Democratic revolt against Ebba Östlin. Many in his large family were involved.
One of the relatives present at the meeting when Östlin was voted out was, according to sources including Expressen and several other media, the now 30-year-old gang member.
Defied Residency Ban
The man has previously been convicted of several crimes and was already identified as involved in the Vårby network's drug trade in Alby in police intelligence material.
In March 2023, the Social Democrats in Stockholm County presented the results of their review of the events in Botkyrka. They found no evidence that the party had been infiltrated by gang criminals, but they raised the issue of expelling a member who was at the meeting because the person "did not fully cooperate" in the investigation.
Last year, the gang member was banned from residing in an area in Alby. The reason was that he was considered to have a "leading and strategic role" in a criminal group's drug trade in the area. He violated the ban and was sentenced last winter to one month in prison.