Latest news, information and statistics about crime and security in Sweden. Information about the black market in Sweden is collected from international organizations, government reports and news articles.
Prosecutors in Sweden convicted 2 people for human trafficking in 2011. An additional 11 people were convicted for pimping that was connected to the trafficking charges. During the year, 450 men were convicted and fined for buying sex.
In 2012, there were 3 convictions for human trafficking and 32 for pimping.
Source: Joan Smith, “Why the game’s up for Sweden’s sex trade,” Independent, March 26, 2013.
A study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, cocaine use in cities in Switzerland is among the highest in Europe.
Everyday, up to 1.5 grams of cocaine is consumed by every 1,000 citizens in the Swiss cities of Bern, Geneva, Lucerne and Zurich.
In other European cities such as Barcelona, London, Milan and Paris, between 0.5 to 1 grams of cocaine is used by every 1,000.
Norther European cities had the lowest reported levels of cocaine use, with Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki registering 0.15 grams of cocaine use daily per 1,000 residents.
Across Europe, up to 356 kilograms of cocaine is consumed each day, which is 10 to 15 percent of the total global cocaine consumption.
Source: AFP, “Cocaine use in Swiss cities among highest in Europe: report,” Google News, August 6, 2012.
A report by the Association for the Reintegration of Women in Prostitution (APRAMP) stated that 39 percent of Spanish men have paid for the services of a prostitute at least once.
Following Spain, the next four highest usage of prostitution by male citizens of the country were Switzerland (19 percent of men), Austria (15 percent), Netherlands (14 percent), and Sweden (13 percent).
An estimated 700,000 women work as prostitutes across the European Union.
Source: “39% of Spaniards have hired the services of a prostitute,” Spanish Review, October 26, 2011.
Along with the Czech Republic, Nordic countries have a high rate of addicts receiving drug treatment for use of amphetamines.
The Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Finland have between 57 percent of 82 percent of all drug treatment residents being addicted to amphetamines, according to the United Nations.
Source: “World Drug Report 2011,” United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, June 2011, page 133.
The number of money laundering cases in Sweden increased by 30 percent in 2010 to 12,000 cases.
Source: “Money laundering on the rise in Sweden,” The Local, April 29, 2011.
Police estimate that there are about 200 prostitutes working in Stockholm.
Source: Atlka Shubert, “Sex trafficking: Countries take different approaches to same problem,” CNN, March 30, 2011.
Swedish citizens travel abroad to have sex with children around 4,000 to 5,000 times a year.
Source: US Department of State, “Country Narratives: Sweden,” Trafficking in Persons Report 2010, June 2010.
Alcohol smuggling in Sweden lead to 8 percent of all alcohol consumed to have avoided taxes in the first half of 2009.
Source: “Swedes drinking more smuggled liquor,” The Local, September 8, 2009.
One in ten people in Sweden committed Internet piracy with a file-sharing program in 2008.
Source: AFP/The Local, “File sharing reaches the masses in Sweden,” The Local, December 17, 2008.
Human trafficking of women in Sweden causes 400 to 600 women to be forced to work in the prostitution trade every year.
Source: Kajsa Claude, “Sweden battles human trafficking,” Sweden.SE, October 26, 2007.
