Paradise Lost: Increased Armament of Crime Gangs in Iceland
According to the risk assessment of the analysis
department of the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police, which
was presented yesterday, crime gangs in Iceland have firearms smuggled
to the country and carry them on the streets.
Icelandic Police Officers. Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
The analysis department concludes that this development can be linked to the increased presence of foreign criminals in Iceland; crime gangs have members with military training, Fréttablaðið reports.
Police have information that handguns are being smuggled to the country; known criminals have placed emphasis on armament in the past months.
The risk of armed conflicts between gangs is at hand which jeopardizes public safety, the analysis department concludes.
Well-organized break-ins and thefts by foreign crime gangs in Iceland, such as the so-called “Rolex raid” in Reykjavík in October, were also brought up.
“Such events indicate increased harshness in the Icelandic underworld and at the same time the presence of foreign crime gangs in the country,” the risk assessment states.
The analysis department pointed out that money laundering is an important factor in the operations of international crime organizations, as is drug trade, prostitution and human trafficking.
The production of narcotic substances and marijuana has increased significantly in Iceland in the past years.
The production of amphetamines results in particularly strong and dangerous chemicals which can result in people losing control and becoming violent, while the production is dangerous in itself as there is risk of explosion.
The amount of drugs produced in Iceland has become so significant that the suspicion has arisen that they may be intended for export, Morgunblaðið reports.
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