Four men and one woman resident from Kærshovedgård were found guilty in a major drugs case at Herning District Court on Thursday.

The men were each sentenced to eight years in prison, while the woman received a five-year sentence, regional media TV Midtvest reported.

Court proceedings in the extensive case have been ongoing since January, with more court days required than initially planned.

Police used wiretaps and other methods to gather evidence in the case, according to TV Midtvest.

Central and West Jutland Police announced last summer that more than half a million kroner in cash had been seized during the arrests.

Located 13 kilometres from Ikast in Jutland, the Kærshovedgård facility is one of two deportation centres in Denmark used to house rejected male and female asylum seekers who have not agreed to voluntary return, as well as persons with so-called ‘tolerated stay’ (tålt ophold) status.

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The residents do not have permission to reside in Denmark but many cannot be forcibly deported because Denmark has no diplomatic relations or return agreements with their home countries.

Kærshovedgård houses people who have not committed crimes but have no legal right to stay in Denmark, for example due to a rejected asylum claim; as well as foreign nationals with criminal records who have served their sentences but are awaiting deportation.

It first became prominent in the mid-2010s, when it received criticism for imposing conditions that could lead to mental illnesses in residents.