Major drug ring busted: Finnish-Polish cartel distributed €11m (£9.3m) drugs
A criminal organisation led by a man from Poland is suspected of transporting to Finland and distributing an "exceptionally large" quantity of drugs and materials for their production, as well as designer drugs, police reported on Tuesday.
According to the data provided by investigators, the group's criminal activities included the smuggling of substances such as cocaine, amphetamine, and alpha-PVP, known as the "zombie drug."
The smuggling lasted from the autumn of 2022 until December 2023. The team operated by importing necessary ingredients mainly from Asia and producing drugs on a mass scale – this information was disclosed during a conference in Vantaa. In total, they are estimated to have smuggled drugs and designer drugs worth approximately 11 million euros (£9.3 million).
As revealed, the Finnish market was supplied with drugs hidden in various places, including private homes and summer cottages rented through Airbnb.
Raw materials for drug production were smuggled into the country by car, crossing the border with Sweden at the Bothnian Bay, from where they were distributed further south in Finland.
Among the substances that reached Finland, amphetamine oil was predominant, from which over 1,500 kilogrammes of ready-made amphetamine were produced. In addition, approximately 85 kilogrammes of marijuana, around 50 kilogrammes of hashish and cocaine, as well as several dozen kilogrammes of other narcotic substances, including tens of thousands of ecstasy tablets, were smuggled.
The leader was a Pole. He was involved with a Finnish citizen
Investigation revealed that the leader of the group, a Polish citizen, was involved with a Finnish citizen who helped distribute drugs in the country. Both were arrested last year in an apartment near Helsinki, where alpha-PHP production was found during searches.
During the investigation, many people were detained, seven of whom remain in custody.
