Smuggling scandal rocks Swedish Air Force
Published: 26 Oct 11 15:13 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/36976/20111026/
The Swedish military has been hit by a smuggling scandal stemming from the Air Force's just completed mission in Libya.
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As part of the operation, military supplies were flown between the Sigonella military base in Sicily, Italy and an air base in Sweden.
However, an inspection of crates containing the officers' personal items that arrived at the F21 air wing in Luleå in northern Sweden revealed that a number of personal items, including wine, liquor, toys, and home electronic equipment were included among the military materiel, the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper reported.
The items are believed to have been purchased at a duty-free shop for military personnel stationed at the Italian military base.
Citing an anonymous source at military headquarters, the local Västerbotten Kuriren newspaper reported that the items consisted mostly of presents purchased by Swedish officers for their families.
Now a total of 14 employees at the F21 air wing have come under suspicion of smuggling the items into Sweden illegally.
By including the items on military transports, the suspects were able to avoid paying both freight and customs duties or sales taxes.
While anyone is able to purchase duty-free items for personal use in another EU country and bring the items back to Sweden, the buyer is responsible for transporting the goods rather than using military transports.
Military police have since confiscated the items and reported the suspected smuggling to prosecutors in Luleå.
“We take this very seriously,” Katja Öberg Lundgren, a spokesperson for Sweden's military police, told the newspaper.
“Armed Forces transports shouldn't be used for private purposes”
Prosecutor Åke Hansson confirmed that his office had launched a preliminary investigation into the alleged smuggling of goods.
If convicted, those suspected of trying to circumvent import rules, would face fines.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
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US would never had won over Japan if it wouldn't have been for the use of nuclear weapons! Shame on North American custom!
SCANDAL?
So people that risk their lives bring some things back and you're worried about 'import duties' ... ha ha ...
This web site is run by sick communists .... 'The Local''s only objective is to destroy the military, destroy the monarchy, destroy capitalism, destroy everything Swedish and enable the country to be overrun by foreign immigrants who need learn only English instead of Swedish as you provide them with ample social services and they rip you off. Honestly, what jokers.
Swedes really need to face an existential crisis to remind them the value of what they have before the current generation of cowards decides to give it all away ...
You obviously have not studied your history.
toys and wine seriously?
its not like they stole the stuff.
just fine them for attempt to evade the stupid taxes for buying stuff elsewhere , and move on. there are more pressing matters to report.
This is really not a big deal. (the smuggling)
rise, defeat for Japan was inevitable by the time the bombs were dropped. It just would have entailed another quarter to half million dead Americans(which would make today's US hating Euros happy) and a couple million or more so dead in the territories Imperial Japan occupied.
I can understand Swede's being ignorant about WWII. Their own history during the period isn't exactly inspiring.
This story in the local is a nonstory. Soldiers have always found a way to send things home while deployed in foreign lands. As long as they weren't smuggling drugs or engaged in large scale crime this is trivial.
the only reason they were caught was due to jealousy of the inspectors.
If they had the chance to bring stuff over themselves they wouldn't hesitate for a second.
Bragging and barking cowboys cannot win over a people with a mind of the samurai. :P
Ok. Look here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWII And dont forget look here http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/World_War_II_Casualties2.svg Only after that is stupid to tell: "US won WWII..."
"The US was to an even greater degree the major factor in the defeat of Imperial Japan."
Yes, nuke the hell out of hundreds of thousands women and children!
"I can understand Swede's being ignorant about WWII. Their own history during the period isn't exactly inspiring."
To bad then that Swedish families didn't die as flies also! A lot of people from outside of Sweden seems to feel very disappointed over that fact.
Someone else is all upset Japanese died instead of another quarter million US soldiers and countless numbers of civilians in the the territories Japan occupied.
Proud of Sweden's role because no Swedes perished? As though Hitler would have left Sweden alone if he had triumphed. But thanks to the blood of others, including my family, he didn't.
Exactly! I agree completely.
My dad turned in his lovely leather bomber jacket when he was demobilized, just as he was ordered. As it happened, he later found out he was the only man in his crew to do so, and regretted it all his life. Some rules, especially in the military, are best left unenforced.
Military and Naval personnel have been doing this kind of activity as long as there have been Armies and Navies and Air Corps.
I knew a professor in college who had been an officer flying the "Hump" over the Himalayas who was jumped by Zero fighters and who bailed-out, thus letting the C 47 loaded from front to back with liquor for the officers go down, and who was later reprimanded by a General for abandoning the plane! That AC did not carry one essential military article in cargo, just crate upon crate of booze for the Officers Mess.
Personnel bringing home wine and toys and gifts for kid and family?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that activity. That is part of the perks of being in uniform and serving.
I shipped by free military post within my two authorized trunks of hold package of personel and private effects a personal .45 Colt pistol, and dozens of other soldiers did likewise with other items. You just kept your mouth shut about just what you sent to avoid attention and informers .
This busy-body business with these Air Personnel who served in Libya via Italy, is way overboard. A poor way to honor the service of Sweden's service-members.
As for smuggling, america smuggled vast amounts of heroine from vietnam which led to the establishment of the "black" mafia of which subsequently a movie was made.
Damn this government, which is soooo incredibly greedy that they go into shell-shock at the thought that someone could import electronic goods without paying a tax.
Taxes are EVIL, import taxes even more so. Government destroys society with its taxes and the entire redistribution BS.
Drop the case and prosecute those who opened private boxes instead.
As a matter of interest, the NATO base at Sigonella, is just outside of Catania. It is in fact an American run naval air base. The "shop" in fact is a duty free commissary, or naval exchange. This is the same base from where U.S. personnel fought saving villages and towns threatened by Mt Etna erupted. I know, because I worked there many years ago.