The Swedish Migration Agency has revoked the permanent residence permits of eleven serious criminals. They are suspected of involvement in crimes including contract killings, drug smuggling, and extortion carried out from abroad. – I hope they are disappointed, said the head of the border police unit.
Eleven individuals are losing their permanent residence permits in Sweden. This follows legislative changes introduced by the government and a review earlier this year by the National Operations Department (Noa) of around 150 high-priority gang criminals residing abroad.
– I hope they are disappointed, said Marcus Nilsson, head of the border police unit at the National Operations Department (Noa), to SVT.
The individuals are fugitives from Swedish justice and are currently believed to be residing in Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Spain.
According to Marcus Nilsson, the eleven belong to a larger group of individuals conducting criminal activities in Sweden without actually being present in the country.
The purpose of revoking the residence permits is to exclude them from the Swedish welfare system, which means they will no longer be entitled to social benefits or pensions. They will also no longer be allowed to start or operate businesses in Sweden, and it will become more difficult for them to move within the European Union. They are also not expected to be able to return to Sweden on their own.
The Police Authority continues its efforts to prosecute the individuals. However, the revoked residence permits make it more difficult for them to enter Sweden and the EU independently, which Nilsson believes will have noticeable consequences.
– We all have families, and this means they will not be able to see them in the way they had intended. You may be established and have companies or benefits, such as pensions, that you are no longer entitled to. This creates problems in many ways, said Marcus Nilsson.
– They are in hiding because we are looking for them, and in that case there is no reason for them to have permanent residence permits. Now they also cannot return once we stop looking for them.