Police officer Björn Pettersson made a record cocaine seizure worth 20 million kronor in Västerbotten in the spring of 2025. The seizure occurred on Valborgsmässoafton in 2025 during speed checks on the E4 south of Nordmaling, where a gray Skoda was stopped for driving slightly over 50 km/h in a 70 km/h zone. Several packages containing cocaine worth 20 million kronor were found in the stopped car, leading to the driver's arrest on the spot and later sentencing to six years and six months in prison for serious drug offenses. Two other men were also sentenced for involvement in the smuggling. For this achievement, Björn Pettersson has been named Police Officer of the Year and was awarded a prize by the emergency services magazine Samverkan 112 at the end of March.
In a separate UK-wide effort, police made 43 arrests as part of a month-long crackdown on 'county lines' gangs in Scotland, seizing drugs worth £900,000 including crack cocaine, heroin, and ketamine. During this operation, 38 vulnerable people were safeguarded who were being exploited by England-based crime groups. Nationally, a UK-wide crackdown on county lines drug dealing resulted in 2,180 arrests and nearly 800 children discovered who needed to be safeguarded. Police seized 121 handguns, along with other weapons like a bayonet and machete, during the county lines crackdown, and 335 county lines were closed across the UK with seizures including 10,500 wraps of class A drugs, 15,000 cannabis plants, and £1.5 million in cash. According to the National County Lines Coordination Centre, the number of county lines across the UK has risen from 4,503 in 2020/21 to 6,544 in 2024/25.
International smuggling networks have also been targeted, with police arresting a gang that smuggled up to 20 Albanians into the UK. A major people smuggling network accused of transporting around 1,000 migrants into the UK has been disrupted following coordinated arrests across Britain and Europe. Investigators believe the network arranged journeys for Vietnamese migrants via commercial flights to Europe, then to France, and onward to the UK using small boats and lorries. According to Europol, the network arranged more than 200 crossings from France to the UK, transporting over 1,000 migrants and generating an estimated €50 million in turnover. Migrants were charged up to €50,000 for the full journey from Vietnam to Britain, with £8,000 to £10,000 for the final leg from France to the UK.
Large-scale drug operations have been uncovered in Scotland, where cannabis with an estimated street value of £7.1 million has been discovered at a derelict former school in Wick. The discovery followed a Police Scotland–led investigation supported by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, with officers acting on intelligence executing a warrant at a building on West Bank Avenue on Thursday, 29 January 2026. A sophisticated cannabis cultivation was discovered, including more than 5,900 cannabis plants and dried cannabis, with the dried cannabis alone estimated to have a street value of £456,000. Seven individuals have been arrested and charged in connection with the matter, with three individuals – two men aged 44 and 27 and a 17-year-old male youth – appearing at Wick Sheriff Court on Friday, 30 January 2026.
Multi-agency operations have been key in Sweden and Scotland, with the Police, Customs, and Coast Guard collaborating in an operation in Oxelösund to enhance cooperation and security in busy ports. Approximately 150 vehicles and five ships were checked in Oxelösund, resulting in traffic fines, suspicion of drug offenses, and a minor seizure of cigarettes. In Scotland, police engaged with more than 660 people travelling in and out of the country using airports, roads, and ferry terminals across three days of action which began on Tuesday, February 24, with 78 flights met at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports. Over the course of Operation Lockstream, £7000 worth of cash was seized, four people were arrested in connection with drugs, road traffic and immigration offences, and a key aim was to safeguard vulnerable people at risk of exploitation. Police Scotland officers worked closely with partners from the National Police Chief’s Council, Border Force, Home Office Immigration, His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and the Scottish SPCA during Operation Lockstream.
High-profile international smuggling cases include a group of prominent racing identities charged over an alleged billion-dollar cocaine smuggling conspiracy in Australia. According to investigators, the alleged cocaine smuggling operation involved 'mother ships' and 'daughter vessels' for offshore transfers, with attempts to import 600 kg to 3.5 tonnes of cocaine. Authorities say none of the alleged cocaine import attempts in Australia were successful, and no drugs were ultimately imported. In the UK, a Nottingham grocery store owner was arrested on suspicion of masterminding a £40 million international cigarette smuggling network, with over 40 tonnes of illegal cigarettes worth around £40 million seized along with assets worth over £2 million. According to the European Public Prosecutor's Office, the cigarette smuggling network used complex maritime routes, false-bottom containers, and encrypted phones to evade law enforcement.
Otherwise, ports risk being used for criminal activity.
An all-female gang at the heart of a major cocaine trafficking operation that flooded Britain's streets with drugs worth £13.6 million have been jailed. The gang transported more than 170 kilos of high-purity cocaine across the UK in four months, using encrypted messaging and secret passwords.
Organized crime trends show expansion, with police noting there are 12 crime groups involved in county lines dealing in Inverness, running drugs from Liverpool, London, and the Midlands. The number of county lines across the UK has risen significantly in recent years, indicating persistent challenges.
Reactions from law enforcement highlight the scale of these efforts. According to SVT Sörmland, Desirée Björnbakk described that otherwise, ports risk being used for criminal activity. Police seized nearly 1,000 knives in one year from county lines gangs that recruit children, and forces say they believe they have prevented 800 stabbings based on a fall in hospital admissions. According to Europol, the people smuggling network arranged more than 200 crossings from France to the UK, and a Europol spokesman said each smuggling package was sold for between 10,000 and 20,000 euros on the black market, with gangs able to earn 100,000 euros per boat after purchasing the kits.
Implications for cross-border cooperation and security are evident, with the Police, Customs, and Coast Guard collaboration in Oxelösund aimed at enhancing port security. The disruption of a major people smuggling network involved coordinated arrests across Britain and Europe, and police smashed an organised crime gang supplying 'smuggling kits' including inflatable boats and engines to Channel traffickers. The CNC provided specialist support to the operation in Wick, including the deployment of trained officers and a general purpose police dog from its Dounreay Operational Policing Unit, and this support was provided without detriment to its core policing role of protecting the UK’s civil nuclear sites and safeguarding nuclear material, which remained fully resourced throughout.
Unknowns persist in these investigations, including the current status of the investigations into the alleged billion-dollar cocaine smuggling conspiracy in Australia and the cigarette smuggling network masterminded by the Nottingham grocery store owner. The long-term impact and effectiveness of the multi-agency operations in Oxelösund and Scotland in reducing organized crime activities also remain to be fully assessed.
Conclusion points to ongoing efforts and future challenges, with new data released today showing 2,740 county lines were closed and 1,657 gang leaders charged in 2025. A key aim of Operation Lockstream was to safeguard vulnerable people at risk of exploitation, and CNC support in the Wick operation was maintained without compromising nuclear security. The number of county lines continues to rise, indicating that despite significant seizures and arrests, organized crime networks remain resilient and adaptive.