Last summer, according to the indictment, the five men, all in their 20s, persuaded the truck driver to stop at an industrial area in Malmö.

"After that, one of the perpetrators entered the cab and threatened him with a knife to hand over what was needed for them to be able to open the cargo," says public prosecutor Carolina Diaz Bernal.

Stole cigarettes and snus for SEK 4.3 million

The driver is also said to have had his hands tied with cable ties while the robbers emptied the cargo of tobacco products worth SEK 4.3 million.

The robbers then disappeared in two different vans. The driver managed to get free and alert the police.

The robbers were apprehended shortly after because they were speeding.

"They were stopped at a traffic checkpoint because they were speeding, and when the police do this check, they see that an alarm has gone out about this robbery. So it's a pure sinkadus," said prosecutor Carolina Diaz Bernal.

When the police opened the flatbeds of the vans, they found large quantities of cardboard boxes and wrapped pallets.

Happened in the middle of the day

The robbery took place on a Tuesday morning, July 25, 2023, in Malmö. A sixth man is charged with aiding and abetting robbery for renting the two vans, knowing what they would be used for.

What the men were supposed to do with the tobacco is not stated in the indictment. They deny any wrongdoing.

Almost all tobacco has been returned to the owner.

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Several of the suspects were arrested in a police operation on the same day as the robbery. See the photos from the raid on July 25, 2023. Photo: Mikael Nilsson