Former Police Employee Denies Selling Guns on the Darkweb
A 57-year-old Swiss man who formerly worked for the police denied selling diverted police weapons on the darkweb.
The defendant, a 57-year-old Swiss man who worked as the head of logistics at the Schwyz Cantonal Police, is accused of earning more than 180,000 swiss francs from the unlawful sale of weapons directly to various individuals and as well as through a darkweb vendor account.
The defendant was arrested and placed in pre-trial detention for two months in early 2018 as a result of investigations conducted by The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland with support from Fedpol and the Zurich Cantonal Police. The investigation resulted in the seizure of 80 weapons and tens of thousands of cartridges from the suspect’s home.
[img=]In Switzerland, the vague weapon classification includes knives.[/img]
According to the indictment presented during the defendant’s hearing at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, between 2012 and 2013 the defendant placed dubious gun orders on behalf of the Schwyz Cantonal Police. The Schwyz Cantonal Police subsequently paid for the guns and the defendant diverted them into his possession.
After acquiring the guns, the defendant and his co-conspirator–who was recently convicted of selling guns on the darkweb in Germany–advertised the firearms on the darkweb.
During the hearing, the defendant admitted that he had ordered guns for himself at the expense of the Schwyz Cantonal Police. He claimed that he had not diverted the guns for resale. He also argued that the guns seized by the police carried a value of only 40,000 francs instead of 180,000 francs.
The defendant then told the court that he was not involved in the sale of weapons on the darkweb. He also said that he had neither sold any weapons to the convicted gun dealer in Germany nor to other individuals associated with the dealer.
At the end of the hearing, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence the defendant to four years in prison. The defense called for the defendant’s acquittal. The sentencing hearing will take place on April 22, 2021.
The defendant, a 57-year-old Swiss man who worked as the head of logistics at the Schwyz Cantonal Police, is accused of earning more than 180,000 swiss francs from the unlawful sale of weapons directly to various individuals and as well as through a darkweb vendor account.
The defendant was arrested and placed in pre-trial detention for two months in early 2018 as a result of investigations conducted by The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland with support from Fedpol and the Zurich Cantonal Police. The investigation resulted in the seizure of 80 weapons and tens of thousands of cartridges from the suspect’s home.
[img=]In Switzerland, the vague weapon classification includes knives.[/img]
According to the indictment presented during the defendant’s hearing at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona, between 2012 and 2013 the defendant placed dubious gun orders on behalf of the Schwyz Cantonal Police. The Schwyz Cantonal Police subsequently paid for the guns and the defendant diverted them into his possession.
After acquiring the guns, the defendant and his co-conspirator–who was recently convicted of selling guns on the darkweb in Germany–advertised the firearms on the darkweb.
During the hearing, the defendant admitted that he had ordered guns for himself at the expense of the Schwyz Cantonal Police. He claimed that he had not diverted the guns for resale. He also argued that the guns seized by the police carried a value of only 40,000 francs instead of 180,000 francs.
The defendant then told the court that he was not involved in the sale of weapons on the darkweb. He also said that he had neither sold any weapons to the convicted gun dealer in Germany nor to other individuals associated with the dealer.
At the end of the hearing, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence the defendant to four years in prison. The defense called for the defendant’s acquittal. The sentencing hearing will take place on April 22, 2021.
