Plumber sentenced to 10 years for monitoring cocaine shipment

A 28-year-old plumbing trainee has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for acting as a lookout during the transport of 38.5 kilograms of cocaine in Copenhagen.

Duncan Almquist admitted at Glostrup Court that he followed a courier in a separate car as the drugs moved from Hvidovre to Brønshøj in March. His role, he said, was to monitor the courier and watch for police. He did not touch the cocaine himself.

Almquist told the court that he became involved partly because he uses cocaine. “It is quite an expensive drug,” the 28-year-old said. His confession led to a reduced sentence, although the court still imposed a decade in prison. He declined to identify other people involved in the case.

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It is quite an expensive drug.

The prosecution formed part of Operation Dark Night, a broader investigation conducted by Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit. Police had installed listening equipment in a Mercedes taxi that was circling the Brønshøj area after officers raided an apartment on March 3 and found the drugs. Almquist was in the vehicle with another person, whom he advised: “Turn off your own phone, brother.”

The case comes as drug offenses account for a large share of prison sentences in Denmark. Figures from the Danish Prison and Probation Service show that serious drug crime represented one-third of unconditional prison terms imposed last year. Another suspect in the wider case pleaded guilty last week to charges involving 42 kilograms of cocaine and half a tonne of hashish, receiving an 11-year sentence.

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Turn off your own phone, brother.