Ali Shehab, a leading figure in Sweden’s Foxtrot criminal network, has been sentenced to life in prison by an Iraqi court for drug trafficking, Swedish prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday..
The 22-year-old, who has dual Swedish and Iraqi citizenship, was arrested in Iraq in December 2025 in a joint operation involving Iraqi police and Swedish authorities. Prosecutors said he was convicted for his role in drug trafficking operations that were run from Iraq and directed a criminal network supplying the Swedish market.
According to Swedish prosecutors, Shehab is a close ally of Foxtrot leader Rawa Majid and has been linked to multiple serious crimes in Sweden. He is suspected of ordering the October 2025 shooting on a public street in Gävle, in which a 13-year-old boy opened fire and injured six young people. Authorities also accuse him of instigating murders and attempted murders in Lund, Gävle, Norsborg, and other locations, totaling five murders and 23 attempted murders.
Shehab is believed to have recruited and instructed young shooters remotely via social media from Iraq, providing directions on timing, weapons, and targets.
Iraqi authorities will not extradite him because he is an Iraqi citizen. Sweden had requested his extradition after the arrest, but prosecutors noted that Iraq does not hand over its own nationals.
Swedish prosecutors said they still plan to continue investigating the Swedish cases and will decide later this fall whether to bring formal charges.
The Foxtrot network has been one of Sweden’s most prominent criminal groups in recent years, often using teenagers to carry out shootings and bomb attacks linked to gang rivalries. Shehab’s conviction is one of the few cases in which a senior member of the network has received a long prison sentence outside Sweden.
