Blotter: Swedish gangster Kotur sentenced

Thursday, a Swedish court sentenced gangster Rade Kotur, aka “Spelkungen,” or the Gambling King, to 14 years in prison. Kotur stands convicted of instigating a murder, illegal gambling and several other serious crimes.

Eleven others were also tried by the Gothenburg District Court in connection with Kotur’s activities. Among the nine convicted was Nenad Misovic, a 36-year-old already serving a life sentence for carrying out a murder at the gangster’s behest.

According to The Local, an online English-language source for Swedish news, prosecutors struggled to secure the convictions. Several witnesses, the news source said, went into hiding or left Sweden to avoid testifying.

Prosecutors said they would have preferred a life sentence for Kotur, who was arrested in England shortly after police raided 150 suspected gambling dens in November 2007. Initially Kotur was charged in connection with collecting 460 million kronor ($52.2 million) in untaxed revenue from nearly 600 illegal slot machines.

Sentences for the nine others convicted with Kotur ranged from two years in prison to community service. Two of those tried were acquitted.