Finnish Customs uncovered a substantial consignment of cocaine being smuggled – narcotics seizures are on the increase
Finnish Customs has uncovered an aggravated narcotics offence involving the smuggling of 45 kilos of cocaine in a sea container from Ecuador. The street value of the consignment is estimated to be about 4.5 million euros. The offence was uncovered in an operation conducted in Vuosaari Harbour in September 2025.
Based on intelligence gathered by Customs, two non-Finnish citizens were selected for investigation. The persons arrived in Finland around five days before they forced their entry into the grounds of Vuosaari Harbour. Over these days, the suspects surveyed the harbour area and obtained equipment for collecting the narcotics.
“On a night in September, the suspects were seen approaching the shore at Vuosaari Harbour using a boat that they had found nearby. In the harbour, the suspects found the sea container they were looking for and the cocaine hidden in the refrigeration compartment of the container. The suspects were apprehended outside the harbour when they were about to exit the area,” says the investigator in charge of the case, Mikko Martikainen.
The operation lead by Customs was undertaken in cooperation with the Police
The commission of the crime, as well as all the preparations and purchases made beforehand by the suspects, could be documented in real time. Apart from Customs, personnel from the police departments of Helsinki and Eastern Uusimaa and from the Central Bureau of Investigation were among the authorities that participated in the operation. Europol was also involved in the operation. Martikainen stresses how essential the cooperation between authorities was in making the operation successful:
“The cooperation between Customs and the Police was excellent and a central component for the end result.”
The cocaine smuggled into Finland could be seized in its entirety and none of it ended up being distributed. Both suspects have been remanded on suspicion of having committed an aggravated narcotics offence. The preliminary investigation has been completed and the case has been forwarded to the Prosecution District of Southern Finland for consideration of charges.
Considerable increase in cocaine seizures – legitimate logistics companies are exploited in the smuggling of narcotics
There has been an increase in the seizures of narcotics, especially cocaine, made by Customs in the current year. So far this year, Customs has seized 1 946 kilos of narcotics, 78 kilos of which is cocaine.
“At this point, we have already seized almost 34 kilos more cocaine this year than last year, and over 60 kilos more than in 2023,” says Director of Enforcement Hannu Sinkkonen.
Cocaine is smuggled into Finland using many different methods, for example in passenger traffic or in express courier consignments.
“In this case, we are dealing with so-called rip-off smuggling, which has become more commonplace elsewhere in Europe. In these rip-off cases, the criminals try to break into the means of transport where the narcotics have been hidden and to seize control of the substance before the cargo arrives at its actual destination or at the latest at the warehouse where the legal cargo is unloaded. If necessary, the illegal substances are collected by force. In Finland, we have had a few of these cases before, and Finnish Customs is actively cooperating with international authorities to prevent this type of crime,” says Sinkkonen, and continues:
“As can be seen in this case, the rip-off method involves exploiting legitimate commercial traffic for smuggling an illegal substance into the country alongside legitimate shipments, while the party who ordered or who transports the cargo does not necessarily have anything to do with the narcotics.”
In cases elsewhere in Europe, the rip-off activities have been found to involve persons who act as assistants to the criminals and are employed by, for example, logistics companies or ports. The quantities of narcotics smuggled in these rip-off cases are, without exception, very large; the commission of such crimes requires meticulous planning and operators stationed in several countries; and the offences practically always involve international organised crime.