Swedish Police Arrest 30 in Major Gang Crackdown Across 12 Cities

A coordinated police operation across Sweden early on May 20 led to the arrest of at least 30 people. Officers raided multiple locations in a nationwide effort to dismantle criminal networks suspected of drug trafficking and gun crimes. The operation, code-named Raptor, began at 5:30 a.m. CET and involved more than 300 police officers. Simultaneous raids were executed in 12 cities: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala, Linköping, Norrköping, Helsingborg, Lund, Västerås, Örebro, Eskilstuna, and Borås. According to the Swedish Police Authority, officers seized 15 firearms, 10 kilograms of cocaine, and 5 kilograms of cannabis during the operation. The crackdown follows a surge in gang-related shootings in early 2026. Authorities revealed that the operation had been planned for several months. Police commissioner Anders Johansson is scheduled to hold a press conference at 2:00 p.m. CET on the same day. He will provide further details about the arrests and the evidence collected. This is the largest anti-gang initiative in a series of measures announced by the Swedish government in March. Media outlets are covering the press conference live, with search spikes expected throughout the day.