Økonomisk Kriminalitet Nordiske Perspektiver - Scandinavian ...

to be erected in front of the fuse box to cool it and prevent overheating. (…) In the
basement one room was used for storage and rubbish, while in the room with the
hot water boiler fertilizer was stored, as well as buckets for watering. The rest of
the rooms in the basement were used for cultivation. Lighting systems and cables
were to be found running throughout the house and large-scale ventilation and fan
systems had been installed.” 5)
The gardeners learned about watering, heating, lighting, fertilizing and harvesting,
and were told to keep the doors locked and the windows covered.
“The accused was told not to let anyone enter the house and to throw the
telephone into the toilet if anyone tried to get into the house. It was not hard to
ask these employees, and they did not ask many questions themselves either.” 6)
“He was grateful that H… gave him work, food and a roof over his head and
looked upon him as a benefactor. He was just so grateful for help that he didn’t
ask any questions (…) In court he said that it was all the same to him what he did,
even if it was illegal, as long as he had food and somewhere to live.” 7)
Gardeners who confessed made the job easier for the police and the court, and got
a more lenient sentence. Those who tried to bluff and told the judge they had
cultivated “medical herbs” had to do full time. But confessing or bluffing; the
marihuana was of excellent quality. The share of marihuana in the market
compared to hash was very low before the plantations, about 2 - 3 % of the
seizures. When the Vietnamese started selling, marihuana increased to 20-30 % of
the market. The Norwegian customers had to pay more for the Vietnamese
marihuana than hash from foreign countries and they gladly did so, due to the
quality of that marihuana. The Vietnamese gardeners knew their business, like
legitimate Norwegian gardeners knew theirs. It took a least 100 000 to 150 000
Norwegian kr. to start a plantation, (10 000 to 15 000 Euro). That’s quite a lot of
money even for many Norwegians and an impossible fortune for a foreigner.
Someone much better off had to invest. The teams were hierarchical. The
employers visited the plantations just a few times, if at all. The foremen showed up
for inspection when it was time for it. The gardeners lived at the plantations,
isolated for months. It must have been very lonely. The money they were
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