Swedish criminal gangs laundering money through Spotify, according to media

Police are seen at the site of an explosion in Olskroken in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Aug 31, 2023. Swedish criminal gangs, which are behind a surge of bombings and shootings in the country in recent years, are using fake Spotify streams to launder money, a Swedish newspaper reported on Sept 5, 2023. — AFP

STOCKHOLM: Criminal gangs behind a surge of bombings and shootings in Sweden in recent years are using fake Spotify streams to launder money, a Swedish newspaper reported on Sept 5.

Criminal networks have for several years been using money from drug deals, robberies, fraud and contract killings to pay for false Spotify streams of songs published by artists with ties to the gangs, an investigative report in Svenska Dagbladet claimed.