The Finnish Police conducted an intensive surveillance campaign on the street-level sales of illegal and controlled substances on weeks 42 and 43. All police departments in Finland participated in the campaign that targeted the sales and distribution of illegal substances particularly on the street-level and in private apartments.
As a result, the police departments reported a total of 125 narcotics offences, 195 cases on unlawful use of narcotics and 15 aggravated narcotics offences. In addition, a total of 67 cases of driving while intoxicated, six cases of violent crime and eight cases of property crime were discovered. Police officers were also able to find 77 wanted persons in connection to the surveillance efforts.
A total of 354 persons were apprehended in connection to suspicions of crime. Of these, 16 were arrested and two were remanded. In addition, 94 searches of domiciles and 85 searches of areas were conducted.
Compared to last year, a decrease was seen in the number of discovered narcotics offences (125 cases vs. 175 cases in 2019) and cases of unlawful use of narcotics (195 vs. 311 in 2019). However, the number of discovered aggravated narcotics offences was higher this year (15 vs. 7 cases in 2019).
Illegal substances and proceeds of crime confiscated
As a result of the campaign, 19.3 kg of marijuana, 310 cannabis plants, 124 g of hash, 82 g of cocaine, 1.8 kg of amphetamine, around 850 g of methamphetamine and 74 dosage units of LSD were confiscated. The amount of confiscated prescription drugs was significantly lower than last year. Around EUR 55,000 in cash was confiscated as proceeds of crimes (EUR 34,700 in 2019). In addition, 12 firearms were confiscated.
‘When comparing the campaign’s figures to last year, it should be noted that the resources available at the police departments for each year’s surveillance theme vary from year to year. This means that the results of surveillance campaigns of this type are not always predictable. The police conduct surveillance on the street-level sales of illegal substances regularly and around the year in connection to daily operations’, says Detective Chief Inspector Kari Siivo from the National Police Board.
Some of the suspects are under 18
In total, 349 (356 in 2019) persons suspected of crimes were subject to the police’s measures. Of these, 10 (15 in 2019) were under 18 years of age. A total of 49 persons (20 in 2019) were first-time offenders in drug-related crimes.
For the crimes uncovered and investigated during the campaign, 53 (90 in 2019) requests for fines were issued and 98 (112 in 2019) cases were transferred to the public prosecutor. The police also issued 27 (13 in 2019) formal notices and gave 17 (10 in 2019) verbal warnings.
Statistics show a strong increase in the use of illegal substances
The total number of narcotics offences grew significantly compared to last year. The total number of narcotics offences discovered by the police between January and September grew around 32% (from 21,185 to 28,079 cases).
Drug crime is mainly well hidden and usually only discovered in connection to other police measures and surveillance connected to other crime. For example, over half of all cases of driving while intoxicated involve a drug or a combination of alcohol and drugs. This year (January–September), around 8,400 cases of driving under the influence of a drug have been recorded, whereas last year, the number was around 6,100.
The number of discovered cases is affected by the resources available to the police’s surveillance efforts, but recent studies have also reported a strong increase in the use of illegal substances.
For example, the Finnish institute for health and welfare THL published a press release on their wastewater study that showed a continuous long-term increase in substance use since the wastewater study’s initiation in 2012.
