Sentenced to 15 years in prison for smuggling 235 kg of cocaine

A 41-year-old man was convicted Tuesday by the Copenhagen City Court of smuggling and handing over a total of 235 kg of cocaine.

The cocaine was transported in sports bags on board flights from the Dominican Republic to Denmark through Copenhagen Airport on two occasions in 2020.

The police’s National Special Crime Unit (NSK) exposed the smuggling by gaining access to encrypted communications sent between the perpetrators. Here, for example, it appeared which baggage tag was on the relevant bags in which the cocaine was stored, and it was therefore also possible to establish that the large quantities of drugs landed at the airport on 11 January and 29 February 2020, respectively, in both cases.

The case against the 41-year-old is part of a larger case in which the police believe they have dismantled an organized drug network with links abroad.

The case complex involves more than 30 people in total.

The 41-year-old has been convicted of planning and coordinating the smuggling and onward transfer.

-“Air transport poses a risk of drug smuggling from all corners of the world, which is why it also sends an important signal that the two smuggling operations that have taken place through Copenhagen Airport have been cracked down on,” NSK prosecutor Jelena Vestergaard Hansen said.

Prosecutor Julie Solhøj, NSK, is also pleased with the verdict:

-“I am very pleased that the court has chosen to mete out a long prison sentence to mark that this case involved organized smuggling of unusually large quantities of cocaine through the airport. The verdict shows that the court agrees with the prosecution that this particular type of crime must be taken very seriously.”

As a result of the verdict, the 41-year-old had approximately 39 Bitcoin, a Rolex wristwatch and small amounts of hashish and skunk confiscated.