Helsinki Police Department's task force for investigating crime by street gangs is finalising two pre-trial investigations relating to Swedish organised crime and gang crime.
A Swedish organisation is suspected of importing hundreds of kilos of narcotics into Finland, and these narcotics have been distributed onwards by street gangs, among others.
The organisation brought more than 300 kilos of drugs into Finland in 2025
In 2025, people coming from Sweden are suspected of having supplied large quantities of various drugs out of apartments in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Based on international cooperation and investigations by the police, the investigation team identified several individuals who were mainly linked to a Swedish criminal organisation and who received and distributed very large quantities of narcotics in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
During the pre-trial investigation, the police seized 220 kilos of amphetamines, around 50 kilos of cocaine, almost 400,000 pharmaceutical items classified as narcotics, and firearms from the apartments used by the suspects.
“The pre-trial investigation indicated that the case is linked to international drug crime led from abroad, with individuals connected to Finnish street gangs also involved in various roles. The pre-trial investigation was carried out in cooperation with the Swedish police in particular, and as the investigation progressed, the Norwegian police were also involved. Effective national and international cooperation has played a crucial role in solving the case," says Senior Detective Superintendent Masi Puolakka, the head investigator.
The total number of suspects is around 30, of whom 13 are currently still in custody. Aggravated narcotics offences and firearms offences are suspected. All the suspects are of legal age. Swedish nationals and Somali nationals living in Finland are prominent among the suspects.
Shooting at Puustellinmäki on Christmas Eve 2024 spurred an investigation into aggravated narcotics offences
Alongside the investigation into the import of drugs, the task force for street gang crime has investigated the distribution of drugs by street gangs, where the drugs were obtained from the above-mentioned organisation.
The investigation started after a shooting in Puustellinmäki, Espoo, on Christmas Eve 2024. During this pre-trial investigation, the team learned that the suspects in the shooting case were also suspected of receiving and distributing drugs obtained from a Swedish organisation.
In addition, cooperation has been carried out with Eastern Uusimaa Police Department who has detained one person connected to the case. In total, the police suspect that dozens of kilos of various drugs were acquired and sold in 2024 and 2025.
“Based on the pre-trial investigation, the street gang members are suspected to have purchased narcotics from the Swedes in batches of one or two kilos and moved them on quickly,” says Senior Detective Superintendent Marko Forss of the Helsinki Police Department.
The street gang is suspected of having stored drugs, firearms, and money, mainly in short-term rented apartments in various parts of the Helsinki metropolitan area. Using such apartments to store illegal goods is today more the rule than the exception.
Nine people linked to the street gang have been arrested in connection with the case, seven of whom are still in custody. About a kilo of cocaine, smaller quantities of other drugs, three handguns, and about €70,000 in cash were seized during the pre-trial investigation into the street gang.
The cases will soon be submitted for the consideration of charges.
