Gangs in Sweden are increasingly recruiting young women

Gang crime Gangs in Sweden are increasingly recruiting young women As of: November 15, 2026 • 3:59 p.m

In Sweden, young women and girls are increasingly being recruited into criminal networks - for example as couriers for drugs and weapons. The gangs lure people with the promise of quick money and recognition.

"There, on the street, all of our relatives were standing and crying. Everything here was cordoned off. My brother's body was lying right here under a white tarp," says Faysa Idle. It stands in a meadow in the Stockholm suburb of Tensta. This is exactly where one of her brothers was shot eight years ago - by members of a gang. The meadow and a few trees are the only green space between the gray prefabricated buildings. It's a difficult place for the 28-year-old.

"I miss my brother. With every little success I celebrate, I think: If only you knew what I've achieved," she says. "Sometimes I come here and think, fuck, damn, I wish I could just wake you up."

Faysa grew up in the gang environment of Stockholm's suburbs. Another of her brothers was a gang leader. This made the family a target for competition. Faysa has experienced how violence and crime shape everyday life and how other girls are drawn into the scene.

Sweden has had a massive problem with criminal gangs for years. more

"Girls often start out as couriers because the police usually don't check them. So they can also travel with weapons in the car," says Faysa.

A study by the Swedish Council for Crime Prevention also shows that girls and young women play an important role in criminal networks. Accordingly, the police have registered almost 10,000 girls and women as people who belong to or are connected to criminal networks. In total there are around 62,000 people. About 16 percent of them are female.

Girls are usually integrated into the networks differently than boys. They often have less influence and are less likely to be part of the fixed hierarchy. Instead, they take on tasks such as transporting or storing drugs. They also often play a role in fraud or in the preparation of violent acts.

"One explanation could be that women get closer to the targets. Because for a long time there was not the same mistrust towards women as towards men," says Diamant Salihu, an expert on gang crime at Swedish television. The gangs specifically looked for young women via social networks and lured them with money.

A lot of gang violence was recorded in Sweden in September. According to the police, many perpetrators are still young. more

Overall, gang violence in Sweden has recently declined. In the first half of 2026, the police registered 39 shootings - fewer than ever since recording began in 2017. In the same period last year there were 86. The number of explosive attacks also fell.

But the decline does not mean that the danger has been averted. Investigators continue to observe that very young people are also being used for serious crimes. In recent months there have been several murder attempts in which the suspected perpetrators arrested were teenage girls. In response to youth violence, Sweden's parliament decided in the summer to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14 years.

The measures are intended to combat growing youth crime. more

In order to prevent young people from falling into such circles in the first place, many parents in the affected suburbs are also getting involved. In the municipality of Järfälla near Stockholm there are so-called night hikers on the weekends. Usually five mothers and fathers walk through the streets together and talk to young people. One of them is Mustafa.

"We primarily look for young people. If something seems suspicious to us, we report it to the authorities. If a group of young people gathers somewhere, we go to them, talk to them, ask them: What's going on? What are you doing here?" he says. The idea behind it: Some young people have more respect for their own parents than for the police.

Faysa Idle is also committed to ensuring that young girls do not fall into criminal networks. She now writes books and poems about her youth in the shadow of gang warfare. She wants to show that the promises of quick money and recognition always end in violence and sadness.

This topic in the program: NDR Info | News | 11/06/2026 | 11:48 p.m