Sweden's 'Queen of Trash' risks prison in toxic waste crime trial
Representative Image (AI-generated)
Prosecutors called Thursday for Sweden's self-proclaimed "Queen of Trash" and four others to be jailed for six years for illegally dumping toxic waste, as the country's biggest environmental crime trial ended.
The once-acclaimed waste management company Think Pink is accused of dumping or burying some 200,000 tonnes of waste from the Stockholm area at 21 sites from 2015 to 2020, with no intention of processing it correctly.
Its former chief executive Bella Nilsson, an ex-stripper who once called herself the "Queen of Trash", is charged with "aggravated environmental crime".
Two others who also served as chief executive at times -- Nilsson's ex-husband Thomas Nilsson who founded the company, and Leif-Ivan Karlsson, an eccentric entrepreneur who starred in a reality show about his over-the-top lifestyle -- face the same charge and possible sentence.
Operation Sindoor
'Op Sindoor's precision & execution was unimaginable': Rajnath Singh
Operation Sindoor: India repels drone, missile attack across LoC
Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list
So do "waste broker" Robert Silversten and Tobias Gustafsson, accused of organising the transportation of the waste. All five deny the charges.
"We did everything correctly. We did it legally. We followed the law," Bella Nilsson told the district court.
Her lawyer Thomas Olsson rejected the prosecution's claim the company used falsified documents to mislead authorities, and said any wrongdoing was "by mistake".
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around
Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List
Undo
Bella Nilsson -- who has now changed her name to Fariba Vancor -- has insisted she is the victim of a plot by business rivals.
The prosecution also sought a three-year sentence against an environmental consultant accused of helping the company pass inspections, as well as sentences of between eight and 18 months for five landowners.
Think Pink was hired by municipalities, construction companies, apartment co-operatives and private individuals to dispose of primarily building materials but also electronics, metals, plastics, wood, tyres and toys.
But Think Pink left the piles of waste unsorted and abandoned, the court heard.
'Unique' trial:
High levels of toxic PCB compounds, lead, mercury, arsenic and other chemicals were released into the air, soil and water, prosecutors said, endangering the health of human, animal and plant life.
The trial opened in September 2024 after an investigation lasting several years and comprising more than 45,000 pages.
"This trial is unique in scope.
There has been a lot of material to go through, large amounts of waste... and the investigation and trial lasted a long time," prosecutor Anders Gustafsson told AFP.
He said Think Pink's motive was money.
"It's extremely costly for a company to do the right thing. You make a lot if you collect the waste and don't sort it properly."
Several municipalities have sought damages for clean-up and decontamination costs, totalling 260 million kronor ($27 million).
One of the biggest claims is from the Botkyrka city council, where two Think Pink waste piles burned for months in 2020 and 2021 after spontaneously combusting. One was near two nature reserves. The verdict is due on June 17.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Of 102 hit-&-run compensation claims filed in Gurgaon, only 2 settled in 3 years
Gurgaon: In three years, 102 claims have been filed by families or victims of hit-and-run accidents, of which compensation has been disbursed for only two of them. Two cases are in the final stages of processing, and the remaining – 98 – are still being investigated by police. This slow pace of resolution has left families of accident victims in the lurch, with some waiting for years after they applied for aid under the 2022 Hit-and-Run Motor Accident Compensation scheme. The scheme, which falls under Section 161 of the Motor Vehicles Act , came into effect from April 1, 2022. It offers Rs 2 lakh as compensation in cases of fatalities, and Rs 50,000 for serious injuries. The scheme is only applicable for hit-and-run accidents, in which police have not been able to identify the errant driver or vehicle. Sunita, a city resident whose husband died in a hit-and-run accident on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway this year, told TOI she has been waiting for compensation for months. Her husband was the only earning member of the family. "My husband was returning home after work on a cycle when he was hit by an unknown vehicle. After his death, I started working as domestic help to support my family," she said, adding that compensation will help her pay for her kids' education. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The issue of delayed resolutions also came up at a district road safety committee meeting, chaired by Gurgaon deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar, earlier this week. "The regional transport authority (RTA) secretary has been directed to expedite the data collection process, ensuring that claims are processed swiftly and efficiently. The goal is to provide timely financial assistance to victims, alleviating some of the burdens they face in the wake of these tragic incidents," the DC had said, directing all involved agencies to expedite the process. According to the norms, a hit-and-run accident victim or a victim's family can apply for compensation under the scheme before the sub-divisional magistrate. They have to submit a death certificate, post-mortem report, or hospital treatment documents as proof. But the scheme does not specify any timeline for completion of police inquiry, which delays a decision on the claim. Accidents aren't uncommon on city roads, particularly the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, or NH-8. Last year, Gurgaon recorded 1,026 road accidents that led to 428 fatalities. Around 44% of the accidents were on national highways in the city, and the largest chunk of fatalities involved two-wheelers, traffic police data showed. In accident cases in which the errant driver/vehicle has been identified, victims and their families can approach the Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) and file a case to seek compensation. The tribunal, after hearing both sides, determines the amount of compensation that may be paid to accident victims or their families. In many cases, the company that insured the errant driver's vehicle is asked to provide compensation.
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Two trailers collide on highway, truck driver dies
Kanpur: A truck driver died, and his attendant was critically injured after an iron girder from another truck penetrated the driver's chest on the Kanpur-Fatehpur-Prayagraj highway in the Maharajpur area on Wednesday. The incident took place in front of the Maharajpur police station when two trailers carrying iron girders collided. The impact caused the girders from the front trailer to breach the rear vehicle's cabin, fatally wounding the driver. Police and locals spent approximately two hours using a backhoe loader and crane to recover the driver's body. The seriously injured helper was sent to hospital in critical condition. The collision resulted in a two-kilometre traffic jam on the Kanpur-Fatehpur-Prayagraj lane, lasting over an hour. Vehicles formed lengthy queues, leaving travellers uncomfortable in the intense heat. Traffic flow resumed after the damaged vehicles were shifted to the roadside. The deceased driver, Somaram, aged 30, from Narayan Nagar Balesar, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, was transporting raw iron girders from Ramgarh, Jharkhand, to a factory near Nagaur, Rajasthan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo His relative, Bhallaram, aged 25, from Rugharam Karni, Jodhpur, was serving as his helper. The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the trailer approached the Maharajpur police station. A sudden brake application by the front trailer, also carrying iron girders, led to the rear trailer crashing into it. The severe impact caused the girders from the front trailer to penetrate the rear cabin completely. Driver Somaram was struck by a girder in his chest, becoming trapped in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries shortly after. Helper Bhallaram was thrown onto the road during the collision and was hospitalised in a critical condition. Somaram's body was recovered after two hours of cutting through the trailer's front section. The front trailer's driver has been detained by the police Maharajpur police station in-charge Sanjay Kumar Pandey said the collision between the trailers, resulted in the rear trailer driver's immediate death and serious injuries to the helper.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
8 held for Semaglutide theft from Dr Reddy's lab; 2 cr drug seized
Srikakulam: The JR Puram police in Srikakulam district have arrested a gang of eight individuals, including four employees of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, in connection with the theft of about 460 grams of Semaglutide (GLP-1), a patented anti-diabetic drug worth over ₹2 crore. The drug was stolen from the company's warehouse at Pydibheemavaram for sale in the black market. Those arrested include Dr Reddy's chemists Dronadulu Suresh (31), N Appala Naidu (28), and Gollapalli Kantarao (35); warehouse staffer G V Raghavendra (33); and four others with pharma backgrounds in Hyderabad: G Suresh Reddy (40), A Tirupati (32), K Balakrishna (33), and B Naveen Kumar (33). The police said Semaglutide is an anti-diabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and an anti-obesity medication used for long-term weight management. It is a peptide similar to the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), modified with a side can be administered by subcutaneous injection or taken orally. Basically it was the patent product of Dr Reddy's Laboratories and the product was meant for export to foreign countries. Srikakulam district police chief KV Maheswara Reddy said the GLP-1 drug was produced at Dr Reddy's Lab production unit and subsequently stored in the freezer room of the FG warehouse on February 17, 2025. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Staff members later discovered that the medicine had been stolen from the freezer room on February 23, 2025. The drug can be sold by only patent persons. However, the drug has high value in the black market. Based on the complaint, the police formed three teams to solve the offences. The JR Puram police inspector M Avatharam along with his team sub-inspector S Chiranjeevi and G Laxman Rao investigated the case in multiple angles to identify the culprits. The investigation revealed that Raghavendra stole the drug from the warehouse. Later, he gave it to Appal Naidu, Suresh and Kantarao for sale of the drug in the black market. The trio gave the stolen drug to Tirupati and later it was handed over to Suresh Reddy in Hyderabad for sale. Suresh Reddy had previously worked with a pharma company and he has links with some persons involved in selling of drugs in the black market. However, he also failed to trade the stolen chemical that led to disputes among the gang. When Raghavendra asked Suresh Reddy to return the drug, he cheated them by giving fake Semaglutide powder. The police nabbed all the eight persons in connection with the case and recovered around 440 gram of stolen Semaglutide powder and 460 gms of fake Semaglutide powder from them. Police said during the audit, staff observed that 3.38 kg of Palladium Acetate, valued at over 60 lakh and stored at the warehouse within the production unit of Dr Reddy's Lab, had been stolen in May this year. Palladium acetate, or palladium(II) acetate, is a chemical is a red-brown solid and is widely used as a catalyst in various organic reactions, particularly cross coupling reactions like Suzuki and Heck reactions. The police said the same gang was involved in the case and the investigation is on to recover the stolen chemical from them.
