Eight arrests have been made in connection with the gunshot murder of a 35-year-old man close to Oslo’s Bislett Stadium last weekend. Several of the suspects have now been charged with drug-related activities, after police uncovered evidence during arrests.
None of the suspects, five men and three woman, has thus far been charged with murder, though Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reports that police have described them as “highly interesting” to the case. The suspects are of Norwegian, Albanian, Thai and Laotian origin, two of the females have been linked to a Thai prostitution ring and the men are suspected of involvement in a Southeast Asian criminal organization in Oslo, writes Views and News from Norway .
When raiding several residences in connection with the manhunt for Einar Opsahl’s murderer, police seized large quantities of narcotics, which are the basis for the charges now brought against the suspects. The two women found with the drugs have been interrogated about the murder and deny all involvement in either matter.
Opsahl was shot at close range after leaving a neighborhood bar with friends late Saturday night. The gunman has been described as between 20 and 30 years old with Asian features and long black hair.
Beyond using vast resources on investigating the criminal environment it is believed the perpetrator is affiliated with, police have been reviewing surveillance footage from the area surrounding the crime scene, as well as mapping cell phone traffic. “This has provided us with quite a bit of information, but has not yet lead to a break in the case,” Inspector Hanne Kristin Rohde told newspaper Aftenposten, according to Views and News from Norway .
