Two teenage girls, one of them underage, are in custody following a drug smuggling case last week, reports RÚV. They have no connection to Iceland.
The two girls, reportedly from Germany, are suspected of involvement in large-scale drug smuggling last week. The Suðurnes Chief of Police says it’s common for criminal gangs to exploit young people, but these girls are younger than usual.
The girls were arrested after one of them was caught at Keflavík Airport with twenty thousand counterfeit OxyContin pills, with a combined street value of about 115 million ISK.
They are 17 and 18 years old, born in 2006 and 2007. Both have been remanded in custody, which expires tomorrow. The younger one is under the legal age, and therefore the case is being handled in cooperation with child protection services.
“The situation in Iceland regarding detention facilities for suspects is poor. We sometimes struggle to find space for those held in custody,” says Úlfar Lúðvíksson, Chief of Police in Suðurnes. We have previously reported on the lack of facilities for minors, and the Ombudsman for Children has stated that an emergency situation exists.
In total, twenty people are currently in custody with the Suðurnes police. Fourteen of them are being held in connection with drug smuggling cases, all foreign nationals.
Úlfar says it’s common for criminal gangs to use young people for drug trafficking, but these girls are among the youngest they’ve seen. He declined to comment on the progress of the investigation.
“The investigation is focused on tracing the girls’ travel route and identifying their accomplices. That’s what we’re working on,” says Úlfar.
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