Swedish gangs force vulnerable people into drug smuggling, lawyer calls it modern slavery

A Norwegian lawyer representing two Norwegians arrested abroad for drug trafficking has described their exploitation by Swedish criminal gangs as “modern slavery,” stating they were coerced under threats of violence and financial ruin.

Advocate Farid Bouras, who is assisting a 30-year-old man from Namdalen detained in Taiwan and a woman from Helgeland arrested at Oslo Airport with a suitcase of narcotics, told Dagbladet that both cases exhibit hallmarks of human trafficking. “This is systematic control, violence, identity abuse, and exploitation of people in documented vulnerable situations,” he said.

Bouras rejected claims that his clients could have refused to travel, arguing they had no real choice. “When someone is financially controlled, subjected to violence, and genuinely fears the consequences of saying no, we cannot talk about voluntary actions,” he stated.

He warned that prosecuting coerced individuals risks punishing victims of trafficking, emphasizing that recruiters deliberately target people with mental health struggles, addiction issues, or financial instability. “These networks establish control over their finances and identities, then use them as disposable links in criminal operations,” Bouras said.

The lawyer criticized Norwegian authorities for inadequate support of citizens trapped in such schemes abroad, leaving them more vulnerable to cross-border criminal networks. He urged police to focus on the “cynical masterminds” behind the operations rather than low-level couriers acting under duress.