Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised.
Sweden historically knwon for its prosperity and peaceful reputation has faced a significant shift in recent times.
A surge of violence has shaken the nation’s sense of security .
in 2022 the country experienced a staggering 392 recorded shootings and the trend continued into 2023 with no signs of abathing.
September 2023 alone, witnessed 11 fatal shootings.
The root cause of this wave of violence lies in territorial disputes among crimingal gangs cying for control over drug distribution.
there are not typical criminal organizations,they actively recrut young boys,some as young as 13.
to carry out acts of violence including shootings and greanade attacks.
one individual who has played apivotal role in this ongoing turmoil ia Rawad majid , also known as the Kurdish Fox ,born on july 12 1986 in Iran to Iraqi parents
.his family sought refuge in Sweden due to the intensifyingIran Iraq conflicts.they settled in in up in Uppsala, a smal city located about 70 kilometers from stockholmswedens capial.
Despite his fathers’s gradual absence from his life .Rawa excelled in schoolduring his childhood Rawa majid’s journey took an unexptected turn after his success in secondary school.
Particularly in subjexts realted to business.following his secondreeducation he established his kiosks in uppsala,sweden where he sold various products,including food,phone cards and even gold.
However his involvement in criminal activites began not long after his venture into entrepreneurship.In 2010 he found himself sentenced to a substancial term of eight years and six monts in prison. due to mutilple drug related offences.
This included his participation in the distribution of cocaine. which he imported from Nethrelands.
In february 2015 Rawa majid was granted early realease on parole he capitalized on this opportunity by purchasingan ice cream parlor in uppsala.This move eas not driven by the parlor’s profitabilty through customer demand.
But rather by his intention to employ itas a means aof money laundring.
there by futher entangling himself in criminal activities
. Rawa majid’s reintegration into society after his initial release was short lived as he violated his probation just thee monts later and found himself incarcerated once more time
2018 he was realsed again but this time under strict supervision and a prohibition on leaving sweden.
how ever his perspective on life changed when his cousin face a severe threat.
leading Rawa to believe he could be next. consequently he was granted permission to leave Sweden, although he remained under close surveillance. and probation.
he chose to travel tohis parents birth country .Irak. and eventually settled in sulamanya ,a city situtated in the eastern part of the kurdistan region of Iraq.
.It’s worth noting that rawa wasted no time resuming his criminal activities upon his release .
he quickly resumed smuggling and selling narcotics becoming a prominent figure in the illicit drug trade.
his asent was solidified in 2020 when the swedish police successfully hacked into the encrypted messagingdatabase he used
This revelation allowed law enforcement to recognise the extent of his influence and activities in the swedish drug trade .
By this point Rawa majid had earnedthe moniker Kurdish fox and had risen to a leadership role within the foxtrot gang
.His crinial endeavors and leadership position within the gang shed ligh onthe complexities of organized crime .and the challenges that law enfforcement faces when dealing fitch such figures.
Rawa majid’s criminal organization the foxtrot gangis primarily composed of his family members and close friends.
to ralling about 10 individuals aged between 25 and 35 years.
this core members can be identified by the golden fox rings and chains they wear and chains they wear
signifying their association with the gang
the primary focus of the foxtrot gang is the importance of largee drug shipments into sweden . which are subsequently distributed to other criminal groups.
the gang has gained notoriety for its willingness to employ excessive violence in its opertions.
Hacked PGP pretty good privacy messages revealed that Rawa majid assumed complete control of the foxtrot gang and its operations from at least 2020.
he oversaw couriers responsible for drug transportation.foot soldiers and those guarding stashe houses.
this revelation prompted swedish police to intensify their investigation into Rawa. In november 2021 ,swedish and Iragi authorities colaborated to loate Rawa In Iraq but he had fled the location just before the raid ..
All rgwt douns wew numerous mobile phones suggesting that Rawa had received advanced warning. and had connections that facilitated his escape
Following this incident Rawa relocated to Turkey .maintaining a low profile for several months.however in march 2022, he resurfaced about a feud between his foxtrot gang…
and another gang in sweden Bandidos.
The feud stemmed from the seizure of two significant drug shipment by police in february 2022. the feud escalated resulting in violent incidents, including shootings.
Notably an innocent bystander was killed in one such attack highlighting the dangerous consequences of such gang conflict.
That a significant portion of those involved in these gang related crimes came from migration bakgrounds.
a report from 2022 indicated that 85% of the suspects in fatal shootings and attacks were either foreign born or had at least one foreign born parent.
Rawa himself remained in Turkey .but in aprol 2022 ,he encountered legal trouble when a gardener in mamarus ,Turkey discovered a pouch containing bundles of cash that someone had left behind. with total value exceeding 12,000 dollars .
and promptly reported it to the police, this act led to a significant turn of events as the police identified as the owner asmiran othaman ho introduced himself as a shipping tycoon and left 400 dollar reward for ali .
however upon closer investigation it was revealed that miran othaman was infact internationally wanted fugitive Rawa majid hwo had an Interpol red notice against him.
Turkish authorities later raided Rawa’s willa and found unlicensed weapons
substantial sums of cash and lucury items which he had obtained…
…In using a fake passport.
Allthough Rawa’s arrest initially seemed like the end of his criminal career, he acquired turkish citizenship through turkey’s golden passport program in 2020.by investing around 400,ooo in real estate in the country.
as a result authorities declined extradition request from Sweden and Interpol.
This decision has turned Rawa’s extradition into a political issue, further complicating the matter. in a suprising turn of events. Rawa was released by Turkey’s police a few weeks after his initial arrest . Effectively regaining his ffreedom.
meanwhile the individual received a reward for his honesty.though keeping the money might have seen more appealing.
Swedish police attempted to aid turkish intelligence in prosecuting Rawathrough operation yilan
sharing a highly confidential police report about Rawa majid and the foxtrot gang.However this document was leaked to Rawan and his associates leading to concerned that a turkish fovernment official may have been involved in the leak
in late 2022, Rawa and his foxtrot gang became embroiled in a heated feud with mikael tenezos and the Dalon gang.centered around a battle for control over the narcotics supply in the city of sundsval , sweden.
This dispute escalated into a series of ruthless incidents , includingbomb attacks and other acts of violence.
Reflecting the volatile nature ofgang conflicts in the region there is an instance of a troubling scene in sweden where teenager armed with a kalashnikov is seen standing in front of a door loading the firearm before firing 15 shots through the door.
This incident took place in an aparatment that belong to the ex girlfriend of rapper thrife who has connections to the Greek rapper.
Thrife was not present during the attack but his ex girlfriend and a child were inside.
Miraculously escaping harm. this act appeared to be more of a scared tactic and was filmed as a a form of boasting,reflecting a disturbing trend of documenting violent acts.
On september 11th ,2023 ,the feud claimed the life of a 13 year old boy who ties to various gangs- including Rawa’s foxtrot gang. tragically young boys becoming victims of gang violence is not uncommon.
in a recent incident the remains of 14 year olds layth al- azzawi
and mohamed suleiman
were discovered in the stockholm region, they were suspected of reselling wepons from the foxtrot gang but could not return them leading them to their violent death.the violence extended to relatives of gang members as evidence by the killing of a 60 year old mother and an attack on Rawa’s mother – in – law.
The internal conflict within the foxtrot gang involving Ismail Abdo, once Rawa’s right hand man further escaleted with violence , this split witihin the gang may reshape the criminal landskape with new groups forming and alliances shifting.
the flow of firearms into sweden primarily supplied by Balkan arms suppliers contributes to the escalating violence.this arms include:
assault rifle
Serbian pistols
and Yugoslav ERA hand grenades.
This weapons are shipped on demand with the Öresund bridge
Serving as a major route for their entry into scandinavia.
the situation has become so dire thatswedish prime minister Ulf kristersson
summoned the head of the military to discuss military involvement in crime fighting.highlightning the severity of the issue.
gun violence continues to rise in sweden
partly because those involved in shootings anticipate minimal repercussions due to low conviction rates.
in conclusion sweden grapples with an alarming surge in violence driven by feuds between criminal gangs causing frewuent shooting s and bombingsthe limited success in arrests and convictions compounds the issue.
leaving Sweden facing a complex ongoing problem of gang violence with no immediate resolution in sight.