Swedish police are fighting gangs that recruit children to work as hitmen

In Sweden, young people are recruiting minors, even children, to become hitmen in the context of the drug trade.

«Bro, I can't wait for my first body», — writes an 11-year-old boy on Instagram. In Sweden, gangs are recruiting very young hitmen who avoid criminal punishment using encrypted messages. «Be purposeful, you'll succeed», — the 19-year-old replied.

In this exchange of messages, dated December 16, 2023, the adult promised the child 150,000 kronor (13,000 euros) for committing the murder, providing her with clothing and transport to the crime scene, according to a preliminary investigation report by the Värmland County Police (central-western Finland), seen by AFP.

Four men aged between 18 and 20 are accused of recruiting four children aged between 11 and 17 into the gang. All of them were arrested before the crime was committed.

The previous report is full of screenshots of teenagers sending each other pictures of themselves with guns, some bare-chested, others wearing hoods.

To look cool

During police questioning, the child admitted that she had written the message to look «cool» and «not show her fear».

This is not an isolated case. For several years, Sweden has been trying to curb violence between gangs fighting for control of the drug trade with the help of shootouts and improvised explosive devices. Last year, 53 people, including innocent victims, were killed in shootings in the country of 10.5 million.

Sweden’s gang organization has become more complicated, with gang leaders operating from abroad through intermediaries who recruit teenagers under 15 (the age of criminal responsibility) using encrypted messaging services.

«It's organized as a kind of marketplace, where tasks are posted on chat forums and the people who do them are getting younger and younger», — National Police Chief Johan Olsson emphasized at a press conference in early October.

There are also criminal authorities, such as «criminal influencers» on TikTok, which not only demonstrate their criminal lives, but also facilitate contacts between customers and killers, explained to AFP Sven Granat, professor of criminology at Stockholm University.

Surge in child crime

From January to August 2023 and over the same period in 2024, the number of cases in which children under 15 were suspected of murder, attempted murder and preparation for murder increased from 31 to 102, according to prosecutors.

These young people often have difficulties in school, attention problems, addictions or have already been in trouble with the law, the professor explains. «They are recruited into conflicts they have nothing to do with, as mercenaries», and it is not necessary that they have previously been in a gang, he emphasizes.

A report by the National Crime Prevention Board (Bra) shows that children are sometimes wanted for such missions. Today everyone wants to be a killer. It is incredibly sad to see that young people (in these circles) strive for exactly this», — Victor Greve, 25, an ex-criminal, told AFP. He himself encountered the police for the first time at the age of 13.

Young people are glorifying the life of crime, which is widely broadcast on TikTok, he says. «Adrenaline rush, sense of belonging, juicy cash — the motives are very diverse».

For Tony Quirogi, a police officer in Örebro, a town 200km west of Stockholm, it is «ruthless exploitation of young people who are just starting out». Gang leaders and intermediaries «don't want to take any chances». They hide behind pseudonyms on social media and set «several filters between themselves» and these young killers, he says.

Minors avoid conviction

In Sweden, children under the age of 15 cannot be prosecuted. They are looked after by social services. In Örebro, volunteers go out into the deprived suburbs in the evenings to warn young people about the risk of becoming victims of gangs.

Victor Greve, who decided to give up crime at the age of 22, explains that these young people do not believe in the future and are convinced that they will not live to be 25.

According to the Bra report, recruitment is driven by corporate logic. To climb the criminal network's hierarchical ladder, 15-year-olds must have their own «children». To attract them, they demonstrate companionship, branded clothing and promises of rewards, and unwavering loyalty becomes the leitmotif. At first, the teenager is used to deliver bags, and then he gradually moves on to more serious tasks, the report notes.