A district court has ordered the seizure of a luxury villa in northern Stockholm valued at 19.2 million kronor, suspected to have been financed with crime proceeds. The property belongs to a man in his mid-40s and the estate of his late wife. The decision follows a joint operation by the police, prosecution authority, and Economic Crime Authority.
In an action against crime proceeds, a district court has imposed a seizure order on a luxury villa in northern Stockholm, valued at a record-high 19.2 million kronor. The reason is suspicions that the villa was financed with profits from criminal activity. The owner is a man in his mid-40s and the estate of his deceased wife. The police, prosecution authority, and Economic Crime Authority conducted a joint operation against them.
The villa, built in 2020, measures 365 square meters with six bedrooms and a private swimming pool. Both the man and the estate opposed the seizure. The court assesses that it is likely the property will be forfeited under new rules effective from late 2024, which allow for confiscation when the asset is clearly most likely derived from crime.
"It is the property with the highest value to date that has been seized within the framework of an independent investigation on standalone forfeiture," says Karin Jensen, expert in criminal economics at the National Operations Department, NOA, in a press release.
Previously, the police handled two similar cases with properties in Eskilstuna and Helsingborg.
The man is registered at the villa. Last year, the Tax Agency decided to increase his tax by 400,000 kronor due to unreported income. A few years ago, he was sentenced to a conditional term and daily fines for stealing goods worth over 5,000 kronor from a hardware store. An application for an access ban to the store was denied.
His daughter, one of the estate owners, was convicted of unlawful threat. At the time of the offense, 19 years old, she threatened to "send people" after a twelve-year-old girl and was sentenced to daily fines. The son is also convicted of unlawful threat.
The legislation on standalone forfeiture entered into force on November 8, 2024, and allows for the forfeiture of assets when it is clearly more likely they stem from criminal activity than legal means. During 2025, the police initiated 120 such cases. By the end of January this year, the police had nearly 300 ongoing cases.
