Cocaine found in toilets of four Swedish parties' parliamentary offices
Traces of cocaine were found in four of the eight Swedish parties' offices in parliament, an investigative report by the Aftonbladet newspaper revealed.
Aftonbladet wiped surfaces in the toilets with so-called cocaine wipes, which turn blue if they come into contact with the drug. These wipes can react with other substances, like ingredients used in cosmetics or cleaning supplies, so the newspaper also sent them to a lab for confirmation.
"We found cocaine in all the samples we were given," Anders Helander, the hospital chemist and researcher who tested the wipes, told Aftonbladet.
The cocaine traces were found in toilets used by the Liberals, Social Democrats, Sweden Democrats and the Left Party. Although the corridors are closed to people without a key card, they are also used by external visitors to the political parties, including journalists.
"It's a toilet that a lot of people can use, but you shouldn't do drugs, that's the gist of it," Liberal party leader Johan Pehrson told TT.
Journalists did not test the Moderates' parliamentary office toilets, instead carrying out a test of their party headquarters, which came back negative.
The parties all said that they would follow up the reports, by carrying out their own tests or speaking with work environment representatives, while Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson suggested that drug tests in parliament could be a solution.
"I don't know what the law says about the possibility of doing so, but I think it would be completely reasonable to do so in this workplace, just like other workplaces."
Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch said that the findings were "completely crazy", while parliamentary administration said they would be working with police to investigate further.
"We have reacted, obviously. It is, of course, unacceptable that something which could be considered illegal activity is taking place inside parliamentary buildings," parliament head of security Niklas Åström told TT newswire.
Sweden has a hard-line drug policy. Possession of anywhere between 0.2 and 0.6 grams will result in a fine, while 5 grams or over could result in a prison sentence.
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Aftonbladet wiped surfaces in the toilets with so-called cocaine wipes, which turn blue if they come into contact with the drug. These wipes can react with other substances, like ingredients used in cosmetics or cleaning supplies, so the newspaper also sent them to a lab for confirmation.
"We found cocaine in all the samples we were given," Anders Helander, the hospital chemist and researcher who tested the wipes, told Aftonbladet.
The cocaine traces were found in toilets used by the Liberals, Social Democrats, Sweden Democrats and the Left Party. Although the corridors are closed to people without a key card, they are also used by external visitors to the political parties, including journalists.
"It's a toilet that a lot of people can use, but you shouldn't do drugs, that's the gist of it," Liberal party leader Johan Pehrson told TT.
Journalists did not test the Moderates' parliamentary office toilets, instead carrying out a test of their party headquarters, which came back negative.
The parties all said that they would follow up the reports, by carrying out their own tests or speaking with work environment representatives, while Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson suggested that drug tests in parliament could be a solution.
"I don't know what the law says about the possibility of doing so, but I think it would be completely reasonable to do so in this workplace, just like other workplaces."
Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch said that the findings were "completely crazy", while parliamentary administration said they would be working with police to investigate further.
"We have reacted, obviously. It is, of course, unacceptable that something which could be considered illegal activity is taking place inside parliamentary buildings," parliament head of security Niklas Åström told TT newswire.
Sweden has a hard-line drug policy. Possession of anywhere between 0.2 and 0.6 grams will result in a fine, while 5 grams or over could result in a prison sentence.
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