A Danish intelligence agency employee stole nearly 600 fentanyl ampules from headquarters in 2021. The Glostrup court sentenced the 36-year-old man to four months in prison on Thursday.
The conviction includes charges of embezzlement and theft under Denmark's penal code. Prosecutors said the employee took the powerful opioid from PET headquarters in SĂžborg.
Court officials imposed a conditional sentence due to the case's long processing time. This means the man likely won't serve actual prison time unless he reoffends.
The defendant also received convictions for storing 85 weapon cartridges at his HornbĂŠk residence. This violated both weapons regulations and public employee conduct rules.
Prosecutor Line Scharf expressed satisfaction with the verdict. She noted the court convicted him on the two main charges from the indictment.
Authorities dropped a third charge during proceedings. Prosecutors determined they couldn't present sufficient evidence for that count.
Most court hearings occurred behind closed doors to protect national security. Judges restricted public access because evidence involved PET's operational methods.
The case began when PET reported their own employee to independent police authorities. Colleagues and the man's wife reportedly knew about his substance abuse issues.
The convicted employee wasn't present for Thursday's sentencing. He has two weeks to decide whether to appeal the verdict to Denmark's Eastern High Court.
This case reveals concerning security gaps within Denmark's primary intelligence service. Stealing hundreds of fentanyl doses from a high-security facility suggests significant procedural failures that demand addressing.
Why were court hearings closed to the public?
Judges restricted access because evidence involved PET's intelligence gathering methods and operational security procedures that must remain secret.
What happens to the conditional sentence?
The convicted man won't serve prison time unless he commits new offenses during the probation period, which typically lasts two years in Denmark.