Passenger vessels from Estonia bring estimated 100 criminals a day to Helsinki

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Finnish customs officials believe that more than 100 people with criminal backgrounds travel from the Estonian capital Tallinn to Helsinki each day.
      Customs are constantly confiscating contraband, such as illegal drugs, tobacco and alcohol intended for resale, as well as tasers and other illegal weapons. The authorities have captured about 200 people who are wanted by police.
      In the same time period, Finnish maritime customs have found EUR 230,000 worth of goods suspected of having been stolen in Finland from passengers leaving for Estonia.
     
According to Leo Nissinen, director of the Southern Customs District, the recession has led to an increase in cross-border crime originating in the Baltic region. At the same time, customs personnel have been cut back, especially in the Helsinki region.
      In a period of less than two years, about 12 per cent of personnel of the southern district has been cut. Nissinen feels that this is beginning to constitute a danger for Finnish security.
      “As a phenomenon, travel to and from Tallinn can be compared with the Russian border, but there are less resources for supervision here.”
     
Routine inspections on transport to and from Estonia came to an end in 2007 when Estonia entered the Schengen zone, but customs authorities can inspect passengers of whom they have specific suspicions.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Schengen treaty eliminates border formalities between Finland and Estonia (21.12.2007)

See also:
  Illegal lead battery transport poses fire risk on Baltic ferries (14.10.2010)
  Cheap alcohol attracts pensioners to Tallinn (20.4.2010)

Helsingin Sanomat