Four men convicted of extortion against family in Sweden

It was in May that three teenagers, aged 17-19, sought out a woman in her home. With them they had a man on speakerphone on a phone who demanded that the family pay between two and three million kroner. The man on the phone, a 29-year-old from the southern parts of the county, is now sentenced to one year in prison for attempted extortion. He is previously convicted of similar crimes. One of the young people is sentenced to three months in prison for the same crime. The other two are sentenced to youth care and probation.

Old debt An old debt, which a son in the family has had, is said to be the basis for the blackmail attempt. The preliminary investigation shows the serious threats that were directed at the woman and her relatives. The perpetrators must have made it clear that they had full control over the family's life.

Continued threats by phone Just two days after the first blackmail attempt, other male family members were contacted by a 28-year-old man. He allegedly demanded two million kroner and gave the family a deadline of 24 hours. He is now sentenced to probation and community service. The police have identified several of the men's aliases in chat groups that show links to organized crime. For one of the younger men, the prosecutor also sought deportation from Sweden with a ban on returning for the next ten years.