Charges to be made against Norwegian investment banker

Norwegian Carl Velve has been held in custody since April after it was alleged he had been making methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth, at his home in Oberägeri.

According to the prosecution service, the 41-year-old, an investment banker whose last company went bankrupt, has been informed that charges will be made against him, possibly before the end of this month, with Frank Kleiner, a spokesman of the Zug police, confirming this.

It was earlier this year that neighbours of Velve thought night-time intruders were in his home and duly alerted the police. On their arrival at the house in total darkness, they came across the Norwegian there himself, holding a torch, and, in a further search, a laboratory, all very professionally set up, along with containers of what at the time were unknown substances, and which subsequently turned out to having been used to produce the “zombie drug” crystal meth.

When Velve was interviewed by a journalist of the Zuger Zeitung, he denied being a major drug-dealer and saying a mountain was being made out of a molehill. However, he did admit making substances similar to crystal meth and having tried them himself, though only as an amateur scientist, adding he had no intention to sell any on.

He went on to mention how his imprisonment was causing much distress to his wife and their small son, who, since his detention, have been living in Argentina, where she comes from. What is more, all his accounts have been frozen, so there is no way they could return at present and being in prison means there is nothing he can do himself.

It has since become apparent that the Norwegian had not been working alone, and that he had a woman accomplice, who also faces charges. It was heard she had been going through a bad patch and lived at the house for a while, acting as his laboratory assistant. “When I first started making small amounts of substances similar to crystal meth back in 2016, it was she who encouraged me; it was she who wanted to start producing methamphetamine,” he said, adding he took care to ensure he was not breaking any laws.

When he was further questioned about this woman, he said she had disappeared for some time, but then she suddenly turned up again. It appears she is currently in custody Zurich. When asked he if would like to elaborate on his relationship with this woman, he declined to do so.