Four men received prison sentences for Norway's largest hashish seizure last year. Authorities confiscated 230 kilograms of hashish worth up to 9 million kroner ($850,000).
The convicted men are all in their 30s. They played different roles in the smuggling operation and received varying sentences.
The company owner who provided the trailer used for smuggling got seven years and seven months in prison. The driver who transported the drugs received six and a half years.
Two other men received approximately three-year sentences for assisting with handling the hashish.
Police discovered the smuggling attempt last autumn when a Polish-registered refrigerated trailer crossed the border at Svinesund. Customs officials stopped the vehicle, which had traveled from Spain, and a drug dog detected the hidden drugs.
Authorities made a strategic decision to let the trailer continue its journey. Police tracked the vehicle to a workshop in Ã…rnes, Akershus county. There, the men transferred the hashish to two cars for further distribution.
Officers arrested all four men during the transfer operation. They have remained in custody since their arrest last autumn.
Two defendants received reduced sentences because they have addresses in other countries and must serve their prison terms outside Norway.
This case demonstrates how Norwegian authorities are targeting international drug networks that use the country as a transit point. The coordinated operation between customs and police shows improved cross-border crime fighting capabilities.