THE stepson of Marbella’s mayoress has claimed his drug trafficking and money laundering conviction was a ‘political’ hit job to hurt his stepmother.
Speaking to the press for the first time in five years, Swedish national Joakim Peter Broberg vowed he would appeal against a National Court ruling that sentenced him to nine years in prison and a €4.9 million fine.
Broberg, the stepson of Partido Popular (PP) heavyweight Angeles Muñoz, was among 20 defendants found guilty on July 1 of involvement in a major drug trafficking ring that moved marijuana and cocaine across Spain, France, and Northern Europe.
The Swede is now maintaining his innocence, claiming he and his father Lars – Muñoz’s late husband – were dragged into the scandal to damage the reputation of the Marbella mayoress.
“The entire process against me has been politically motivated,” he told Swedish outlet Sydkusten.
“They have used me to try to hurt Angeles Muñoz politically,” he added.
Broberg’s comments come despite a bitter family feud with Muñoz, after he and his half-brother Lars Toni Andreasson launched a court claim against her in late June over a heated inheritance battle.
The siblings claim they have not received the inheritance they believe they are entitled to from their father, who died in 2023.
READ MORE: Marbella mayor’s stepson jailed for nine years in massive drug trafficking and money laundering case
In his interview with Sydkusten, Broberg alleged: “She stole everything from me.”
He added: “She hasn’t offered me a single penny for help [during the trial], and the money is my father’s, not hers.”
As an early procedural step in the dispute, a Marbella judge last week ordered Muñoz to compile an inventory of everything Lars Broberg owned when he died.
However, this does not mean judges have found any wrongdoing by Muñoz.
The case remains before the courts, which will decide how the inheritance should be distributed.
Muñoz’s opposition in Marbella, the socialist PSOE party, has also entered the dispute by calling on the mayoress to clarify whether she received an inheritance from her late husband.
Former mayor Jose Bernal, of the PSOE, also called on her to update her assets declaration – an official statement in which a public official lists their wealth, property, and financial interests.
Muñoz is yet to comment publicly on either her stepson’s conviction or the inheritance row.
Broberg is understood to currently be out of prison after posting €50,000 bail in the wake of his guilty verdict.
Spain’s Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office, however, labelled him a ‘flight risk’ and requested on Tuesday he enter jail immediately.
Broberg’s lawyer challenged the request, arguing that her client retains his ‘full right to have the sentence reviewed’ through appeals.
She said Broberg had remained fully available to the courts, had promptly reported any changes of address, and surrendered his passport.
The Swede first came under scrutiny in May last year, when prosecutors accused him of laundering more than €7 million in suspected drug proceeds as part of a so-called ‘Swedish mafia’ network operating on the Costa del Sol.
His father was also accused of playing a key role in the operation.
During a 2025 court hearing, a senior police inspector told the court under oath that six separate money-laundering operations worth €7.3 million had been traced to Joakim Broberg and his associates.
In three of those transactions, totalling €6.4 million, she said Lars Broberg was personally involved.
One of the key laundering schemes described involved the purchase of a luxury villa in Vega del Jaque, Benahavis, using almost €3 million in cash channelled through a Gibraltar-based company.
“It was done with a large amount of cash, which shows they had easy access to large sums of money,” the inspector said.
She also described how funds were allegedly moved through tax havens, including Bermuda, Montenegro and the British Virgin Islands.
The inspector said Joakim Broberg had no declared income in Spain but was linked to 19 inactive companies, most registered through an office in a Marbella shopping centre that was also used as the address for many of his father’s businesses.
She described a sophisticated operation in which illicit funds were allegedly used to buy land, build luxury villas and sell them on, often with the knowledge and involvement of Lars Broberg.
During one of the property raids, the inspector said officers were ‘stunned by the high standard of living’ enjoyed by those under investigation.
Click here to read more Marbella News from The Olive Press.
