Five gang criminals from Malmö have for several years been suspected of several different murders in Malmö, linked to extensive drug trafficking and money laundering.

But so far none of them have been convicted of any more serious crime in Sweden.

Recently, three of them were sentenced to long prison terms, 34 years each, by a Spanish court.

- These men have been involved in several investigations into deadly violence in Malmö.

It is a great success that they, for crimes committed in Spain, can no longer push the spiral of violence in our city, said Petra Stenkula, chief of police in Malmö, in a press release in the days after the verdict.

Punishment can be shortened to 12 years in Sweden

If the men apply to serve their sentences in Sweden instead of in Spain, which they have the right to do according to EU rules, imprisonment can be significantly reduced.

- If you move to Sweden, you serve your sentence according to Swedish rules, says Rikke Nielsen, expert at the Swedish Prison and Probation Service.

This means that the men can be released after two thirds of the prison term, but also that the 34-year sentence is shortened.

- They have received a fixed-term prison sentence that is very long, 34 years.

In Sweden, we have a maximum of 18 years fixed-term punishment.

In that case, the punishment will have to be adjusted.

If they serve their sentence in Sweden, can it end up with them getting 2/3 of 18 years, ie 12 years in prison instead of 34 years?

- It can end like that.

But the process is far from complete yet, says Rikke Nielsen.

It is still unclear whether the convicted Malmö men will apply to serve their sentences in Sweden - the processing of such an application can take a long time and takes place between the authorities in each country.

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Here, several of Malmö's gang criminals are arrested in a Spanish raid in Málaga 2018. They are suspected of being behind most of the murders and bombings on the Spanish sunny coast.

Photo: National Police / ESRTVE / Radio Television Espanola