Customs warns sleeping-pill buyers over illegal imports

People ordering narcotic-classified sleeping medicines from foreign websites face questioning even when the quantity is small and intended for their own use, Swedish Customs has warned.

In its new warning, Customs says almost 80% of the women it identified importing sleeping tablets were over 50. The corresponding figure for men was around 60%. These figures describe the ages within each group, not women’s and men’s shares of all orders.

The agency says many buyers told investigators they previously had prescriptions which their doctors would no longer renew. Paying VAT on a parcel does not make an otherwise illegal import lawful.

Customs seized almost 1.4 million tablets containing zopiclone, zolpidem or diazepam from 2024 through September 2026. Its figures cover all seizures of those substances, not just small personal orders.

Minor offences can result in a prosecutor’s penalty order and a criminal-record entry, the agency says. It also warns that tablets from unknown sites may contain more dangerous substances than their packaging claims.

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