Customs revealed a wide range of offences involving the import of doping substances - the main suspect in the case manufactured and mixed the substances himself
Customs has carried out a preliminary investigation of a wide range of doping offences. Customs investigated these aggravated doping offences actively for about eighteen months. The preliminary investigation showed that the private individual ordered doping substances and precursors from China to Finland.
The suspect is a male aged around 30 from Savonlinna, who manufactured, bottled and sold doping substances all over Finland. During the preliminary investigation, doping substances of around 450 periods of use were seized. The person is suspected of having sold and supplied onwards doping substances of around 1 900 periods of use.
Seizure of around a thousand ampoules of doping substances
Customs seized around a thousand ampoules of doping substances from the suspect. Further, the preliminary investigation showed that the suspect from Savonlinna had ordered around 6 kilos of doping powder from abroad, from which several thousand ampoules could be manufactured.
During the preliminary investigation, Customs seized dozens of different doping substances, including testosterone in various forms – sustanone, trenbolone, nandrolon, stanozolol and drostanolone.
The typical length of one period of use is around two months of active use of doping substances with a subsequent break of around two months, i.e. a period of around four months in total.
- This is an exceptionally wide range of offences, which took a long time to investigate. The activity was professional and organised. The suspect manufactured, bottled and labelled all the doping substances he sold. The preliminary investigation involved extensive cooperation with foreign authorities, says Senior Customs Officer Tatu Suvikas, investigator in charge at Customs’ Investigation Unit in Turku.
The doping substances came from China
Customs preliminary investigation showed that the doping substances came from China, from where they were sent as airfreight in several lots via Germany to Finland and from there to different post offices.
Six individuals around Finland are suspects in the offences. The suspects were from Savonlinna, Jyväskylä, Turku, Juva, Valkeakoski and the United States. Other suspects in the case are suspected of acquiring, selling and supplying doping substances onwards.
The events started to unfold when the main suspect in the case drove his vehicle into a railing in Rauma in February 2023. In the vehicle, there were doping substances that the suspect tried to hide in the woods. The substances were seized by the authorities at the scene. Equipment needed to manufacture doping substances was also seized from the person's possession. The two individuals who were in the vehicle were apprehended and detained suspected of an aggravated doping offence, among other things.
The matter will be forwarded to the Prosecution District of Western Finland for consideration of charges.