Jönköping District Court has convicted five individuals for their involvement in smuggling approximately 32.8 kilograms of cannabis hidden inside two tables imported from the United States. The sentences handed down on Thursday ranged from two to six years in prison.
According to court documents, the Swedish Customs Service discovered the cannabis in early October when they X-rayed the tables at Arlanda Airport. The tables were addressed to a construction company in Jönköping municipality. Further investigation led to the arrest of five suspects.
Two men from Jönköping received the harshest sentences of six years each for drug smuggling and drug offenses. A 32-year-old businessman who owned the company that was to receive the tables was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison and received a five-year business prohibition. The court concluded he was unaware of the large quantity of drugs, believing it to be only 10 kilograms.
Two women from Helsingborg, aged 22 and 32, were convicted of attempted serious drug offenses and received sentences of 2 and 2.5 years respectively. They had attempted to collect and transport the drugs from Arlanda to Jönköping.
The investigation revealed that a mysterious figure known only as 'Mr Burns' coordinated the smuggling attempt via chat messages. Customs criminal investigators are reportedly still working to identify this individual.