Three problem areas in focus in joint agency initiative against organised crime
Over the past year, the joint agency initiative against organised crime has continued to move towards a broader, more crime-prevention focus, with an emphasis on the criminal economy. Part of this focus is to prioritise work on three problem areas: crime in port environments, environmental and waste crime, and welfare crime. The Swedish Coast Guard actively takes part in the first two areas.
Published: 31 Mar 2026 at 2:46 PM
The problem areas have been chosen because of their importance for organised crime and because cooperation between agencies can make a big difference. The work has a clear crime-prevention focus, to reduce the vulnerabilities of society. It involves identifying and closing the weaknesses in the social system that criminals exploit.
In 2025, the work moved into a more operational phase. In the problem area of ports, Swedish Customs and the Swedish Police Authority made several large seizures of cocaine, among other things, totalling 776 kilos.
In general, the joint agency work in 2025 has focused on advanced financial crime. This has led to several judgments with high awards for damages, forfeited proceeds of crime and imposed bans on conducting business.
Common crime schemes involve laundering criminal proceeds through companies, false invoices, incorrect income declarations and illegal cash exports. Money laundering schemes are used, among others, by criminal networks involved in large-scale drug handling. These networks often belong to the most violent criminal environments.
Read the results of the 2025 joint agency initiatives in the annual report.
Facts: Agencies working together against organised crime
Since 2009, government agencies have worked together in an initiative against organised crime (the OB initiative, "OB-satsningen"). The initiative is carried out on assignment from the Government, under the leadership of the Swedish Police Authority.
The initiative targets criminal individuals, networks and crime phenomena. It is carried out through operational efforts, intelligence work and crime-prevention work. Since 2025, the work has been largely organised around problem areas. The current problem areas are crime in port environments, welfare crime, and environmental and waste crime.
The 14 agencies in the initiative are the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen), the Swedish Economic Crime Authority (Ekobrottsmyndigheten), the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården), the Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden), the Coast Guard, the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket), the Swedish Pensions Agency (Pensionsmyndigheten), the Swedish Police Authority, the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), the Swedish Security Service (Säkerhetspolisen), Swedish Customs, the Swedish Payment Agency (Utbetalningsmyndigheten) and the Swedish Prosecution Authority (Åklagarmyndigheten).
