In the middle of June 2015, Customs seized almost 17 kilogrammes of marijuana that was brought to Finland from Germany via Sweden.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that the organisation has smuggled marijuana to Finland on several previous occasions in 2014. The previously smuggled quantities comprised 10-13 kilogrammes. It is suspected that a total of more than 110 kilogrammes of marijuana has been smuggled to Finland by the organisation.
The events started to unfold already in the summer of 2014 in Vuosaari in Helsinki, where Customs apprehended a woman who was transporting more than 12 kilogrammes of marijuana in her car.
Based on that preliminary investigation, international cooperation with the German customs authorities was initiated. The operation uncovered an international organisation that smuggled marijuana, with citizens of Germany, Poland and Gambia as members.
So far, five persons have been questioned in Finland as crime suspects in the matter. Four of these persons are still held in pretrial detention and one person has been sentenced to several years of imprisonment. German Customs is currently conducting a preliminary investigation in the matter regarding several citizens of different countries residing in Germany.
The street value of the seized drugs is roughly 580 000 € and the street value of the marijuana already distributed according to the preliminary investigation is estimated to be around 1 600 000 €.
The preliminary investigation is concluded and the matter was forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office of Helsinki for consideration of charges at the end of September.
More information about the case is available from Senior Customs Inspector Tero Virtanen, tel. 040 3326967.
