A Danish man received a one-year prison sentence for swapping places with his brother during a jailbreak. The switch happened at Vestre Fængsel, Copenhagen's main prison, in summer 2021.
Steffen van Khoa escaped by taking his brother's identity during a scheduled release. The brother had been cleared for release while Steffen remained a suspect in a major drug case.
Copenhagen City Court delivered the verdict on Thursday. The convicted man immediately appealed the decision.
Both brothers were held in pretrial detention at Vestre Fængsel. They even shared a cell during their confinement.
The case involves 300 kilograms of cocaine smuggled into Denmark. Authorities discovered the drugs in a shipping container transported to Hedehusene, a town west of Copenhagen.
Police have dubbed the investigation "Operation Container." Last year, several people received sentences up to 16 years in prison for their roles.
Steffen van Khoa remains at large and is believed to have left Denmark. International authorities continue searching for him.
The brother's defense lawyer expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict. He confirmed the appeal was filed immediately after sentencing.
This unusual jailbreak exposes potential security gaps in Denmark's prison system. The fact that brothers could switch identities during a supervised release raises serious questions about prison protocols.
Drug smuggling cases of this scale remain relatively rare in Denmark. The 300-kilogram cocaine seizure represents one of the country's largest drug busts in recent years.