A seven-episode Danish investigative documentary that premiered around May 2024 has exposed a sprawling criminal network that connects Copenhagen's motorcycle gang underworld with Denmark's legal and business elite.

Den Sorte Svane (The Black Swan), produced and released by TV2 Denmark and directed by Mads Brüggers, centers on undercover footage captured by Amira, a jurist with ties to criminal networks who operated from an anonymous Copenhagen office to expose the operation. Working with journalists, Amira eventually broke ties with the underworld to help document the scheme, revealing connections that reached into the highest levels of Danish society.

The documentary details multiple criminal operations involving billions of Danish kroner. These include hvidvask (money laundering), fakturafabrik (invoice fraud factories), contaminated soil fraud schemes, and the systematic exploitation of legal loopholes by criminals working in close coordination with lawyers from established firms.

**The Central Figure**

At the heart of the investigation is Naveed Anwar, 49, known as "The King" or "Kongen" in Danish criminal circles. Court documents and the documentary reveal that Anwar led a massive invoice fraud operation—dubbed "Operation Greed"—that generated at least 26 million Danish kroner in illegal proceeds. Operating from Herlev, near Copenhagen, the invoice factory created fake documentation to launder money through legitimate-appearing business transactions.

Anwar's conviction came via Sø- og Handelsretten (the Danish Maritime and Commercial Court), which sentenced him to seven years imprisonment. His brother, Usman Anwar, a hotel operator in Brøndby and Vesterbro, was convicted alongside him. The investigation revealed that Naveed Anwar wielded considerable control over his network; as one source characterizes him, "If he says jump, they jump high."

Particularly striking is the revelation that Anwar had been granted debt restructuring on 114.5 million Danish kroner in 2016—while simultaneously running the scams that would later be prosecuted. His arrival at court in a Bentley, accompanied by Louis Vuitton bags and designer watches, underscored the scale of his criminal enterprise.

**The Broader Network**

The documentary reveals that the criminal operation was not isolated to career criminals. Fasar, a Bandidos motorcycle gang member, was infiltrated by Amira, exposing links to contaminated soil fraud connected to an Aarhus entrepreneur. This case exemplifies the documentary's central finding: that rockers, lawyers from prominent Danish firms, and ostensibly "respectable" business figures collaborated systematically to obscure criminal proceeds and exploit regulatory gaps.

Amira's work from her hidden office—offering legal advice to underworld figures while recording interactions—provided journalists with unprecedented access to these networks. Her willingness to step away from her underworld associations to expose the operation proved critical to the investigation's success.

**Public Impact**

Den Sorte Svane has drawn significant public attention in Denmark since its May 2024 premiere. The series is available on TV2 Play, making it accessible to international audiences with Danish language skills or subtitles. One episode, "Vidnet, der ikke vil dø" (The Witness Who Won't Die), aired May 28, 2024, and runs approximately 54 minutes.

The documentary's English-language trailer encapsulates its central premise: "From an office with hidden cameras, Amira advises criminals in the underworld, who turn out to have connections to the top of society." It references the billions involved and the involvement of lawyers and crime bosses—or "trigimænd"—suggesting networks far deeper than typical organized crime.

Naveed Anwar's case was first flagged to authorities in 2013, though the full scope of the network and his operations would not be publicly exposed until the documentary's release over a decade later.

**Sources**

https://play.tv2.dk/serie/den-sorte-svane-tv2

https://www.berlingske.dk/indland/hovedmanden-i-kaempe-svindelsag-kaldes-kongen

https://kontrast.dk/sektioner/kommentar/artikel/den-globale-elites-skyggeside

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYyyVm9JT7c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1IbqQfwtvg