Podcast Summary: The Underworld Podcast – "Sweden's Gangland Child Soldiers"
Date: December 9, 2025
Hosts: Danny Gold and Sean Williams

Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Danny Gold and Sean Williams dive deep into the dramatic transformation of Sweden from one of Europe’s safest countries into a hotbed of gang warfare, focusing particularly on the rise of gangs recruiting child soldiers. Using firsthand reporting, key interviews, and historical context, they unravel how social policy, immigration, and international criminal networks shaped the explosion of violence. The episode also draws parallels to gang phenomena worldwide, explores controversies over integration, and highlights the influence of social media and the music industry in Sweden’s gang culture.

Key Topics and Discussion Points

1. Origins of Swedish Gang Violence

• Timeline: [01:01]–[14:22]
• Historical Context: Sweden's gang landscape roots back to post-1960s urbanization and ambitious housing projects. These state-built neighborhoods like Rinkeby became magnets for immigrant and refugee populations from the Balkans, Middle East, Africa, and beyond.
• First taste of gang violence came in the 1980s-90s with biker gangs (Hells Angels, Bandidos), followed by the influx of Balkan mafias after Yugoslavia's collapse.
• Quote (Danny, [12:04]):
  "Rich European nations that are wide open with lackluster policing and an extremely lenient criminal justice system, which is still an issue decades later."

2. Sweden’s Immigration & Integration Policy

• Timeline: [14:22]–[24:50]
• Sweden is depicted as a progressive haven, taking pride in welcoming refugees and immigrants, yet struggles with proper integration.
• Certain immigrant-dominated neighborhoods receive substantial state support, but issues of isolation, unemployment, and identity persist, leading to pockets of disenfranchised youth.
• Hugo (Malmo-based researcher), via Danny, highlights a controversial view:
  • [24:51]
    "Sweden is among the least racist countries in the entire world, and using the racism card is simply an expression of a detrimental victim mentality..."

3. Emergence of the ‘Child Soldier’ Gangs

• Timeline: [31:56]–[35:53], [36:53]–[37:30]
• Case study: The split between two Somali-Swedish gangs—Death Patrol (or Death Squad/3mst) and Shadas, born out of a revenge murder following a $200,000 foreign exchange robbery.
• Young age of key participants: children as young as 13 involved in high-profile violence.
• Major shift: Sweden’s lenient justice system means teens caught for murder often get minimal sentences.
  • [35:06]
    "The shooter is 16 years old… given only three years… Sweden, murder suspects under 15 cannot be arrested... between 15 and 18, three years youth confinement with phones, computers… for shooting and killing another person…” – Danny
• Gangs actively exploit these legal loopholes, deploying teenagers for violence.

4. The Social Media & Gangfluencer Phenomenon

• Timeline: [45:12]–[47:08]
• Gangsters utilize Instagram, TikTok, and diss tracks for recruitment, intimidation, and reputation-building.
• Swedish gangster rap parallels UK and US drill scenes; many rappers (such as Yasin) are actual gang members.
• Notable murders of Swedish rap stars (Einar, C.Gambino, Gaborro) underline the tight link between music and gang feuds.
• Quote [45:12]:
  “...the majority of notable gangster rappers in Sweden are connected to a gang… often functioning as a propaganda arm…” – Hugo, via Danny

5. Weapons, Bombings, & Transnational Networks

• Timeline: [53:36]–[57:01]
• Sweden experiences an "epidemic" of bombings: 317 in 2024 alone, mostly for intimidation/extortion.
• Guns and grenades are mostly smuggled from the Balkans, especially Serbia. Prices are strikingly low (e.g., $12 for a hand grenade).
• Quote – Danny [54:54]:
  "Most of the bombings... are not intended to kill… they're used for intimidation and coercion... to let a target know that they can be gotten."
• Expansion of Swedish gangs into Denmark, Finland, Morocco, etc.; cross-border conflicts and crackdowns by Danish police.

6. Law Enforcement & Policy Challenges

• Timeline: [35:53]–[37:30], [39:54]–[41:39]
• Swedish police are underpaid, understaffed, and hamstrung by privacy laws.
• Legislative reforms in 2011 further softened drug and gang charge penalties.
• Denmark’s stricter policies cause friction as Swedish gang violence spills over.
• “No RICO laws… It makes it extremely hard to take down these gangs.” [36:53] – Danny

7. Notable Cases & Memorable Moments

• Einar’s Kidnapping & Murder [47:08]–[53:36]:
  • Huge Swedish rap star Einar is kidnapped in 2020 by rival rappers (Yasin, Haval), beaten, blackmailed, and ultimately murdered in 2021.
    • "They take him somewhere, they rob him of his jewelry, they beat him, and they make him dress up in women's underwear, where they take a video of it to use as blackmail..." [49:19] – Danny
  • This event symbolizes the intertwining of celebrity, street credibility, and violence.
• Exporting Gang Wars to Denmark [40:53]:
  • Five Death Patrol members murder rivals in Copenhagen; the Danes respond with heavy-handed justice.

8. The Next Phase of Gangland Sweden

• Timeline: [59:46]–end
• New “networks” (Bro, Dalen, Norrisburg, Foxtrot, Roomba) arise, each innovating upon recruitment, violence, and income generation.
• Teaser for next episode: the transnational, ultra-organized Foxtrot gang led by the "Kurdish Fox" and "Strawberry," with ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and global drug trafficking.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• [01:01] (Danny):
  “A few months earlier, the friends had teamed up and robbed the jewelry shop using smoke bombs and firing gunshots in the air… Violence that is starting to shock Sweden.”
• [05:52] (Danny):
  “How did one of Europe's safest, most prosperous countries descend into the real-life version of Grand Theft Auto?”
• [35:06] (Danny): “The shooter is 16 years old… given only three years… Sweden, murder suspects under 15 cannot be arrested... three years youth confinement… for killing another person.”
• [36:53] (Danny):
  “No RICO laws… It makes it extremely hard to take down these gangs.”
• [50:03] (Danny):
  “The kidnapping of Einar, it does start a cycle of diss tracks and threats between him and his enemies. It’s all over YouTube, it’s all over Instagram.”
• [53:36] (Danny):
  “...they love to blow things up… 317 bombings in Sweden [in 2024].”
• [58:56] (Sean):
  “That’s nuts, man. ... Malmo is right next to Copenhagen, which is right near northern Germany. ... My only question is why the Danes haven’t been so successful on that then why it’s left to the Swedes.”

Structure and Flow

• Origins & Historical Migration: Sets the stage by linking housing policy to immigrant settlement and the unintended sowing of gangland seeds.
• Distribution of Blame: Examination of left/right politics in Sweden, along with critical immigrant and local perspectives, for a balanced view.
• Rise of Kid Hitmen: Detailed look at legal loopholes and deliberate exploitation by criminal networks.
• Social Media, Music, and Cult of Personality: Shows how reputation, “cool” factor, and social contagion fuel recruitment and violence.
• Weapons and Bombings: Demonstrates the foreign-sourced arsenal and how violence adapted to Sweden’s unique legal and social environment.
• International Spread & Pushback: Moves beyond Sweden to view the problem as a Scandinavian and even European challenge.
• High-profile Victims & Celebrity Murders: Illustrates the increasingly blurred line between fame and street crime.
• Conclusion & Tease: Opens into the promise of a deeper investigation, as the story shifts beyond Sweden’s borders.

Final Thoughts

Danny and Sean balance serious, thoroughly reported analysis with their trademark irreverent banter. The episode shines in its ability to weave history, policy, crime reporting, and pop culture into a compelling narrative—offering both a granular look at Sweden’s gang child soldier phenomenon and its broader European and transnational implications. This is essential listening for anyone interested in the changing face of organized crime in Western Europe.

Recommended Timestamps

• 01:01–05:52: Introduction & timeline of violence
• 14:22–24:50: Immigration/integration & social roots
• 31:56–35:06: Child soldiers and legal system loopholes
• 45:12–53:36: The gangster rap connection and the case of Einar
• 53:36–57:01: Bombings, gun trade, and extortion economics
• 59:46–End: New gangs and next-level international crime syndicates

For further deep-dives on the Kurdish Fox, Foxtrot Network, and the global scope of Sweden’s gang wars, stay tuned for the next episode.