The burnt out dairy.
Remand hearings continued for most of Thursday. The three suspects, including a man in his 70s from Västerbotten, participated via video link. He appeared from a hospital bed during the proceedings.
The man's lawyer, Linda Sundlöf, who was present in the courtroom, stated that she couldn't comment on the investigation or answer any questions, citing preliminary investigation secrecy. She also declined to explain why her client is hospitalised.
The court decided to remand the 70-year-old man in custody, based on probable cause, on suspicion of aggravated tax fraud. The court also granted the prosecutor the right to request restrictions.
Everything began to unfold after the dairy fire in Broänge, Lövånger last Sunday. In connection with the blaze, the trio was apprehended and detained by the prosecutor.
A criminal investigation concerning excise-duty goods, specifically tobacco, had been ongoing prior to this by the Swedish Economic Crime Authority (Ekobrottsmyndigheten).
The fire prompted police and prosecutors to enter the old building, where they discovered items that strengthened suspicions of serious crimes.
— It concerns tobacco products valued at many millions of kronor. These quantities are so large that they constitute serious crimes and result in significant sums in tax revenue loss, says Chief Public Prosecutor Andreas Bogseth at the Swedish Economic Crime Authority.
This appears to be an illegal cigarette factory in the small village outside Lövånger. The period of the alleged crime spans from last September until the trio was apprehended and detained earlier this week.
The trio was remanded in custody at Skellefteå District Court.
The two other men, both foreign, one in his 50s and the other in his 40s, are both suspected of aggravated tax fraud. The younger man is also suspected of aggravated unlawful handling of excise goods, as stated in the remand application, though this specific charge wasn't part of the court's remand decision.
Both men have been remanded in custody on suspicion of aggravated tax fraud. Their detention is based on the risk of flight and the possibility they might tamper with evidence or obstruct the investigation if released. The court also approved the prosecutor's request to impose restrictions on them.
The complex case continues to grow. Later that same afternoon, the prosecutor requested the remand of additional individuals, specifically a 50-year-old man from another European country, distinct from the first two foreign nationals. This man hasn't been apprehended but was detained in absentia on July 27, concurrently with the initial trio.
The prosecutor now seeks his remand in absentia. He is suspected, like the 40-year-old, on probable cause, of both aggravated unlawful handling of excise goods and aggravated tax fraud.
Chief Public Prosecutor Andreas Bogseth stated that the man is suspected of having, with others, "built up a manufacturing operation for cigarettes" in Lövånger. According to the prosecutor, this cigarette production was professional.
No excise duty or tax has been declared, leading to significant financial losses for the state. The prosecutor's remand application further notes that these offences are considered part of a systematic criminal enterprise and should therefore be classified as aggravated.
The other two men are not suspected of excise tax offences, only aggravated tax fraud.