Spanish authorities have taken down a gang operating in the eastern city of Alicante, which allegedly recruited Swedish and Danish teenagers to act as hitmen for murders.According to police reports, a married couple from Sweden and their 15-year-old son were arrested for enlisting other teenagers through the messaging app Telegram to commit murder. They also face accusations related to weapons and drug trafficking as well as money laundering.
The dismantling of the gang occurred before any murders took place, as stated by a police spokesperson.
In early November, Swedish prosecutors took action against one of the three suspects in absentia—whose identities are concealed—on charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and weapon-related offenses in Sweden, Denmark, and Spain.
Sweden has been witnessing a rise in organized crime that is now spreading throughout Europe.
In August, Denmark called on Sweden to enhance its efforts in curtailing cross-border gang violence and to prevent armed Swedish teenagers from acting as “child soldiers.”
The 15-year-old son was instrumental in recruiting and compensating the other teenagers, according to police sources.
The investigation began in May when law enforcement detained a Swedish teenager in Benalmadena, a town near Malaga, who had been enlisted by the gang to assassinate a member of a rival biker gang.
This teenager received an assault rifle and an escape plan that involved an electric scooter, but he was apprehended prior to executing the murder.
In a coordinated effort, Danish police arrested two Swedish teenagers in May who had traveled to Denmark with intentions to commit murder, confirmed the Spanish police.
Authorities revealed that their investigation also uncovered a significant criminal network linking Sweden and Eastern European nations.
