Police Department of Itä-Uusimaa finalises pretrial investigation of extensive narcotics case with international crime connections

Since the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, the Itä-Uusimaa Police Department has been investigating an international organised crime group led from Poland. The group is suspected of having imported to Finland considerable volumes of narcotics and their precursors.

Since the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, the Itä-Uusimaa Police Department has been investigating an international organised crime group led from Poland. It is suspected that the group imported drug precursors to Europe, mainly from Asia. In addition, the group is suspected of preparing drugs in various European countries, and distributed the end products to several countries, including Finland.

The pretrial investigation focused on the suspected importation of the drugs to Finland and the redistribution in the country as well as on the Finland-led distribution of the drugs to other countries.

The operation of the Polish criminal organisation has been extremely professional. It is suspected that the distribution of the organisation included cocaine and marihuana, among other substances. Moreover, the organisation is suspected of the distribution of the drugs they produced, such as amphetamine, methamphetamine, Alpha-PVP/PHP, MDMA and other synthetic drugs. In several countries, the organisation could avail of drug manufacturing premises, almost of industrial-level scale, where the precursors which mainly came from Asia were processed into drugs.

Pretrial investigation in Finland

Towards the end of 2022, the Itä-Uusimaa Police started to investigate an extensive amphetamine distribution organisation operating in Finland. In the course of the investigation, it became clear that the organisation not only distributes amphetamine but also cocaine and other narcotics.

Through the investigative action by the Police, it was discovered that the drugs are imported to Finland by an organisation directed by a man of Polish origin.

When this Polish man suspected to be the head of the organisation visited Finland, the Police subjected him to secret coercive measures. It became clear that the Polish man had a couple relationship with a Finnish citizen. It was also detected in pretrial investigations that the Polish-directed organisation had acquired the Finnish client contacts with the help of the leader’s Finnish girlfriend. She was in charge of the distribution of the drugs destined to Finland as well as the task of expanding the clientele.

In the early spring of 2023, the Police got hold of telecommunications terminals, and owing to the device searches they were subjected, the extent and international character of the suspected crime entity started to take unfold.

In May 2023, a male flew to Finland, and his identity and contact to the Poland-led criminal organisation had already been clarified through the earlier searches of the devices. The individual in question became object of secret coercive measures as of his entry into the country. The Police finally apprehended this man and two other individuals at a cottage in Kirkkonummi where they were involved in the process of precipitating amphetamine oil. At this cottage, the Police seized almost six kilos of amphetamine. The telecommunications devices held by the suspect were subjected to device searches which further deepened and extended the view of the scope of the suspected crime.

As concerns the case at Kirkkonummi, the events have already been examined by the District Court.

In the spring of 2023, the Police started to subject the Polish man and his Finnish girlfriend to extensive secret intelligence and coercive measures. The couple was apprehended in late December at their visit to an apartment in Kerava. After this, the apartment was subjected to a search of the premises. During the search it became clear that the crystallisation process of Alpha-PHP was underway in the apartment.

Importation and final production of drugs in Finland

It is suspected that the drugs were mainly imported to Finland using vehicles crossing the Haaparanta-Tornio border checkpoint. It is furthermore suspected that several persons were involved in the importation and precipitation, and that several different vehicles were used for the importation. After border crossing, the drugs were transported on the Finnish side to pre-rented apartments and cottages, mainly located in Southern Finland.

Based on the pretrial investigation, it is suspected that on several occasions, considerable amounts of amphetamine oil has been brought to Finland. In Finland, the drugs have been precipitated in a crystalline, usable form. In addition, it is suspected that large one-off quantities of Alpha-PVP and Alpha-PHP precursors have been delivered to Finland. Using these materials and processing them further, ready-to-use drugs have been produced. Precipitation and other processing of drugs mainly took place in private apartments and cottages. The apartments for the precipitation and production purposes were found, for example, through the Airbnb-services.

During the investigations, the Police conducted an extensive international cooperation with various countries. The International Unit at the National Bureau of Investigation supported the Itä-Uusimaa Police Department in the international operations.

In connection with the investigation on the Sunset entity, also an extensive whole of importation and redistribution of Subutex pills from Estonia to Finland was detected. Some of the individuals involved in this case are the same suspected of the Sunset whole.

Due to the suspected crime, several dozens of individuals have been heard and several individuals have been apprehended both in Finland and abroad. Seven individuals remain detained.

Based on the pretrial investigation, it is estimated that considerable volumes of drugs were distributed in Finland between the autumn of 2022 and December 2023. It is suspected that the main narcotics imports to Finland consisted of amphetamine oil, with the precipitated, ready-to-use and distributed amphetamine amounting to about 1,600 kilos. In addition, it is suspected that about 46 kilos of cocaine, about 20 kilos of Alpha-PVP/PHP and  about 31 kilos of other synthetic narcotics were imported to Finland. The imported hashish amounts to about 50 kilos and marihuana to about 85 kilos. Some 40,000 Ecstasy pills and about 20,000 Subutex pills were also imported.

Considerable volumes of drugs related to this organisation have also been seized in Finland. The seizures of amphetamine amount to 80 kilos, Alpha-PVP/PHP to 400 grams, cocaine to 500 grams and Subutex pills to 3,000 in number.

The reselling value of the distributed drugs was over 11 million euro.

The pretrial investigation whole is now being transferred to the consideration of charges to be brought by the Southern Finland Prosecution Authority.

The attached photos are part of the pretrial investigation material in the case.