The prosecution has decided to appeal the sentencing in a major drug case involving two young men who were each sentenced to 11 years in prison. The two received their sentences after confessing to their roles in the handling of 100 kilograms of cocaine. According to the prosecution, an unusually large reduction in sentencing was granted, and the case has therefore been escalated to the Eastern High Court (Østre Landsret) with the intention of increasing the penalties.

The National Special Crime Unit (NSK) informed the news agency Ritzau that the reduction in sentence awarded to the convicted amounted to three to four years in prison. New regulations that came into effect on June 15 allow for a mitigating circumstance if the defendant confesses, even if they do not disclose the identities of others involved. This change in law was implemented to alleviate pressure on the courts by promoting quicker processing of cases.

The defense attorney for one of the convicted individuals, Asser Lyngs Gregersen, remarked after the ruling that the sentencing discount was one of the most significant he had seen in a confession case. The convicted men, 23-year-old Laurits Wulff Schønau and 26-year-old Jonas Riis Kofoed-Hansen, both admitted to their crime in hopes of reducing their sentences. Schønau, who is studying to become a marine engineer, sought quick money to avoid working alongside his studies, while Kofoed-Hansen aimed to earn money for a ring and a trip for his girlfriend.

Both men referred to themselves as “slaves” during the trial, asserting that they followed instructions from their superiors via encrypted communication. They had no prior criminal records and expressed remorse in court. Over the course of five months, they received cocaine deliveries on seven occasions at various locations, including a loading ramp of an online grocery service, Nemlig.com, in Brøndby and at a McDonald’s in Solrød, after which they distributed the drugs according to directions.