Man’s angry outburst at Coop led police to cocaine haul

A police response to reports of an angry and aggressive man at a Coop grocery store in Bamble led to the seizure of almost 800 grams of cocaine, MDMA tablets and 150,000 kroner in cash, NRK reports.

The incident took place on 29 July 2025. The man left the store before police arrived, but a witness followed him and identified the house he entered. Police then decided to search the property.

During the search, officers found cocaine, several MDMA tablets, a vacuum sealing machine and cash. Kripos analyses later showed that the cocaine had a very high purity level of between 88 and 89 per cent. Police estimated its street value at several hundred thousand kroner.

Police also found a switched-on mobile phone in the man’s freezer and a separate account book. The phone contained thousands of messages on an encrypted messaging service. Names, dates, quantities and prices in the messages corresponded in detail with the notes in the book.

The man, who is in his 30s, admitted in Nedre Telemark District Court that he had stored the drugs, but denied supplying or selling cocaine to others. He said a difficult personal situation, including a relationship breakdown and a job change, had led to extensive drug use.

He claimed he had bought the large quantity for personal use because it was cheaper and less risky than buying small amounts frequently. He said the cash consisted of legally saved funds.

The court rejected the explanation, finding that the quantity of drugs, the cash and the account book showed that he had been involved in organised drug sales for profit.

In a unanimous ruling, the court sentenced him to two years in prison for an aggravated drug offence. The sentence was not longer because he had no previous convictions, had immediately admitted possessing the drugs and more than a year had passed since the incident.

The court ordered the confiscation of the 150,000 kroner, the drugs, the vacuum sealing machine and the mobile phone. It rejected a request to confiscate three soft guns found in the man’s basement storage room, ruling that they were legal items and that there was no evidence of any imminent risk that they would be used in criminal acts.

The man’s defence lawyer, Jonny Sveen, said it had not been decided whether the ruling would be appealed.