Jens Lapidus - Easy Money

A summary of the market division: The Bandidos’d agreed to drop their coat-check racketeering and cocaine dealings in the inner city. Instead, they’d increase the protection racket, especially in the southern boroughs. The HA would increase their booze smuggling in all of middle Sweden. Reduce their protection racket. Expand whatever financial crime schemes they wanted. The Naser gang: difficult to sway. They were gonna keep running H as usual. The Original Gangsters: did CIT heists all over Sweden. Not really a competitive field. On the other hand, they’d promised to reduce their blow biz in the boroughs. They had the run of the northern boroughs. Fucked For Life kept the weed business in southern Stockholm, would reduce their scope in the north.

Mrado’d organized it all. Valued the different markets. Shares. Areas. Weighed. Analyzed. Talked to over forty different people. Lobbied. Buttered up when necessary. Been hard as bone when the situation demanded it.

Most people trusted him, treated him like a Yugo with honor. Saw the advantages to his proposal. Saw the risks with Nova.

Summa summarum: He was close to a market division. Best of all, the coat checks in the inner city, his own pet project, were becoming protected ground.

According to Mrado: He was a genius.

Left to convince: Magnus Lindén, the Wolfpack Brotherhood.

They were meeting up at the Golden Cave pub in Fittja. Neutral ground.

Mrado loved his Benz more than usual. It was the effect of the crayons Lovisa’d left behind. Mrado’d pinned the box on the dashboard like an icon. Crayola. Thought, Soon it’ll be Wednesday again.

No traffic. Smooth driving. He thought about the Wolfpack Brotherhood.

Created by a couple of inmates at Kumla seven years ago. The founder was the self-appointed president, Danny “the Hood” Fitzpatrick. According to him, he got the idea of creating the Brotherhood after a couple of years on the inside, when he “realized that there were a lot of us who had to live with a reality where the cops threw tear gas in our apartments now and then and came after us with machine guns.” The goal’d been to copy the Hells Angels’ hierarchy: hang-around, prospect, member, sergeant at arms, and president. But after a couple of years, the shit really hit the fan. The Brotherhood’s president found himself in a power struggle with Radovan’s brother. War broke out between the Brotherhood and the Yugos. Went on for two years; three people lost their lives. But that was many years ago now. The Brotherhood had gotten a new president: Magnus Lindén. The Yugos calmed down. But the scars remained.

Mrado parked the car. Before he locked it, he said his customary prayer to the Car God.

Didn’t feel anything before his meeting with Lindén besides a weak hope for a successful market division. No nerves. No fear.

He entered the pub.

Spotted Magnus Lindén right away. The dude exuded cruelty.

The pub was almost empty. A middle-aged woman behind the bar was stacking glasses. Lunch had been over for two hours. The place was dimly lit. In the background: Led Zeppelin, “Stairway to Heaven.” A classic.

Lindén rose, arms hanging by his sides. Not so much as a hint of a greeting. Was rocking some serious attitude.

Mrado in his new role as mediator: ignored that Lindén ignored. Extended his hand. Met Lindén’s gaze.

He remained standing like that for three seconds too long.

Lindén backed down. Extended his hand. Shook Mrado’s.

“Welcome. Want something to eat?”

The ice was broken.

They ordered beer. Made small talk.

Mrado knew the game by now. Discussed engines, cars, bikes.

Lindén imparted his words of wisdom, sounded a lot like HA philosophy to Mrado’s ears: “If you drive Japanese, you’re a faggot.”

Mrado agreed. Honestly. He’d owned a lot of cars in his life, but never an Asian, and he planned to keep it that way.

The conversation was easy.

Lindén’s approach was different from that of a lot of others. The dude was a roaring racist. Kept sliding into talk about nigger decay/commie Jews and the Swedish Resistance Movement, some sort of organization made up of old skinheads. Mrado was uninterested. Where was the money in this bullshit?

Lindén shook his head. “Why’d I think a person of the Slavic race would understand?”

Mrado got fed up. “Listen, li’l Hitler. I don’t give a fuck about your race theories. You know what I want. It’s about all of us. Cut the bullshit and answer the questions already. Will you agree to the market division or not?”

Risky to push Lindén. He’d made a bloody mush of people for less. But Mrado wasn’t “people.”

Lindén nodded. Had made up his mind.

It was decided.

Mrado on a happiness high on his way home.

Called Ratko with the news.

Called Nenad.

“Sealed the deal with the Brotherhood, too. Like I told you, we’re sitting pretty. Our markets are protected.”

“Damn, you’ve done a fucking fantastic job, Mrado. Pray to God they keep their promises. The blow biz in the boroughs is soaring at record speed. The sky’s the limit. We’re gonna do some serious revving up now.”

“Real good odds.”

Mrado’d been thinking about where Nenad stood for a long time. Was he with or against the boss? Mrado’d heard the talk, knew that Nenad’d had conflicts with Radovan, too. There was a possibility that Nenad was as ticked off as he was. A possibility he had to test.

Mrado went for it. “No matter what Radovan does, we’re safe.”

“Yes, no matter what Radovan does.”

Nenad paused. They were silent.

Then he went on. “Mrado, we’re on the same team, right?”

Nenad tested Mrado the way Mrado’d planned on testing him.

Nenad in the game. Mrado and Nenad on the same side against Radovan.

Stockholm City, daily

March

PROJECT NOVA-THE POLICE’S NEW WEAPON AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME IN THE REGION. The gangs have long criminal records, are becoming increasingly organized and violent, and are training their successors to rob and sell drugs.

Aggravated robberies, severe drug crimes, aggravated assault, procuring and pandering sex, and severe illegal weapons possession constitute their everyday lives.

Despite special police efforts, gang crime in Stockholm has become increasingly sophisticated, violent, and organized. Hardly a day passes without newspaper reports about new CIT robberies, procuring and pandering sex, or cases of assault taking place in the Stockholm area.

Organization

Many of the persons in question are experienced criminals with substantial criminal records who previously worked largely alone or in smaller groups. The new development points to improved organization and unity.

Cracking down on gang crime is a central issue for the regional head of police, Kerstin Götberg, and the Stockholm police’s Project Nova began last year after a period of critical escalation of violent crime in the region.

150 persons have been given a so-called Nova mark. This means that all police officers know that an arrest of such a person has top priority, no matter the crime in question.

“We can’t wait around for trophies. Sure, locking them up for seven, eight years would be good if it was possible, but it might not always work. We are going to maintain constant pressure on them. If you combine all the units in the region, you can, as a rule, find a way to convict them of something,” said Leif Brunell, head of the region’s Drug and Surveillance Unit and operative head of Project Nova.

Status Among the Criminals

When the Nova marks were instituted, having one in the police’s registry was almost considered a status symbol among criminals.