Swedish gang criminals 'branching out into healthcare sector'

[Celerity]

https://www.thelocal.se/20231005/swedish-gang-criminals-branching-out-into-healthcare-sector

https://archive.ph/95SQq



"We can see early signs that they are starting to enter into the healthcare sector, run healthcare centres and vaccination centres," Sara Persson, crime prevention specialist at the Economic Crime Authority, told Sveriges Radio. The authority predicts that potential profits from healthcare welfare fraud amount to almost six billion kronor, around twice as much as profits from the drug trade.

It can see evidence of welfare fraud within the Foxtrot network, whose members often commit multiple different types of crime. "We've seen that they are involved in the drug trade, of course, and that's what they're charged for. But we can also see that the same people have run companies which we have charged with tax crimes, where, for example, they are listed as providing support to foster homes, and have received money from municipalities for looking after unaccompanied refugee children," Persson said.

The Economic Crime Authority, warned in a report it released earlier this year along with other authorities that there were a number of problems with the way Sweden's healthcare system was set up, which left it open to abuse by criminal actors. Firstly, there is no need to secure any sort of permit before starting a healthcare centre or similar centres such as residential care homes for young people (HVB-hem). There is also no national register of these centres, with everything done on a regional basis, making it difficult to spot fraudulent companies setting up healthcare centres in different regions.

It is also difficult for regions to get rid of a company once they have a deal in place. According to a separate report from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå), released last year, this is especially the case if the company is good at filling its leadership positions with people who appear trustworthy, or if those running it swap out their board of directors whenever they’re accused of committing fraud.

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[Wonder Why]

1. They probably learned it from our private providers.

[Elessar Zappa]

2. The criminal cartels in Mexico do the same thing.

In Mexico it’s to build trust in the community so that when law enforcement or the army comes around, the locals will hide and protect them.