Oslo police uncover major drug network linked to Swedish crime group

Oslo police have traced tens of millions of kroner worth of drugs to a mysterious Swedish network known as Den Skandinaviska Kranen, operating from a residential area in the city’s Hasle district, reports Dagbladet.

Massive drug seizure
In an apartment in the area, police allege a 36-year-old man stored 31 kilograms of cocaine, 187 kilograms of hashish, nearly 80,000 Ksalol tablets, and 148,000 Rivotril tablets—both prescription sedatives also used recreationally. The cocaine alone has an estimated street value of around 14 million kroner.

A second man, aged 25, is charged with purchasing 12 kilograms of hashish and 2.5 kilograms of cocaine from the same network for distribution in Oslo and nearby Lillestrøm. Both suspects are set to appear in Oslo District Court.

Swedish connections
The term kran (crane) in Swedish criminal slang refers to a figure controlling drug supply. Investigators believe the seized drugs originated from a larger Swedish network based near Södertälje, east of Stockholm. Oslo police have monitored multiple individuals linked to the group as part of Operation Grevling.

The name Den Skandinaviska Kranen has surfaced repeatedly on social media, with images of drugs allegedly sold under the brand circulating on platforms like Reddit. A known Swedish gang criminal has also been linked to the network in the Norwegian investigation, though no formal charges against him have been disclosed.

Finnmark convictions
The network’s reach extends beyond Oslo. In a recent trial in Vestre Finnmark District Court, two men in their 20s were sentenced to 14 months in prison for receiving 4.2 kilograms of cannabis. The men admitted partial guilt, stating they had traveled to Oslo in March 2025 to purchase the drugs from a Telegram user calling themselves Skandinaviske Main—allegedly an affiliate of Den Skandinaviska Kranen.

Neither suspect in the Oslo case has publicly commented on the charges. Their defense attorneys declined to provide statements.