A Norwegian court has sentenced a former police officer to 21 years in prison for severe corruption and being an accomplice in one of Norway’s biggest drug-smuggling cases.
After over 35 years of service, Jensen was arrested and suspended from duty in February 2014 in connection with an investigation into the drug network.
Eirik Jensen, 60, now retired, was once in charge of combating Oslo’s criminal gangs. He had denied the accusations against him and his lawyer said he would appeal.
“This case is unique in Norwegian legal history,” Oslo District Court Judge Kim Heger said as he read the unanimous verdict against the police officer.
“Jensen has actively and deliberately contributed to a well-organised and extensive import of hashish,” he said.
Jensen and his lawyers argued during the trial that the evidence of contact with criminals was merely a result of normal police work intended to extract information and that he had not received any money or gifts.
“We lost the battle, but we hope to win the war,” Jensen’s attorney John Christian Elden told reporters after the verdict was made public. “There will be an appeal.”
