Recession pushes more people into illegal drug business in Helsinki

“Many in grey zone of construction have moved into drug trade”

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The recession appears to have increased the number of people involved in the illegal drugs trade in Helsinki. The amount of money involved in the business has not necessarily increased, but more people appear to be entering the business.
      “Many who have worked in the grey zone of the construction business have moved into the drug trade. Money for living has to come from somewhere”, says Jari Aarnio of the Helsinki Drug Police.
      On the basis of seizures by police, amphetamine is the predominant illegal substance sold in Helsinki and the Helsinki region. Last year drug police in Helsinki confiscated nearly 43 kilos of the substance - about one third more than in 2007.
     
Amphetamine, a powerful stimulant, is brought into Finland mainly from the Baltic countries. Most of it is believed to be manufactured in illicit laboratories in Estonia, and some in Latvia and Lithuania as well.
      There are thousands of amphetamine users in the Helsinki region, most of whom are believed to consume it intravenously.
     
Cocaine has also established a foothold on the Helsinki drugs scene. It is no longer exclusively an upper class indulgence.
     “Straws used for sniffing cocaine, which are discarded after use, can be found all over the city.”
     Last year police seized 200 grammes of cocaine. In 2007 more than three kilos were confiscated. A rule of thumb is that about 10 per cent of drugs in traffic are confiscated by police.
     
Amphetamine is smuggled to Finland from Estonia usually in heavy vehicles. The contraband is either packed into the structures of the lorry itself, or hidden inside the load that is being transported, and then the truck is driven onto a ferry going to Helsinki.
     “Usually the completely honourable transports of completely honourable companies are involved, with a quantity of drugs slipped in”, Aarnio says.
     “In nearly all of the cases the driver knows what is in the load.”
     Drugs are also smuggled in cars, in the luggage of ship passengers, and hidden inside the body.
     Although the main route for amphetamines is known, enforcement is difficult. Last year 89,000 lorries and 14,000 trailers arrived in Helsinki from Tallinn.
     
Cash is the exclusive medium of payment in the illegal drug trade. This applies to both the wholesale, and the street level.
     The strategy of the police is to disrupt the cash flow. For instance, in 2007 drug police in Helsinki confiscated about EUR 600,000 in cash.
     Last year 25 kg. of amphetamine was found in forest hideaways used by one group of distributors.
     “Traffic flows in the harbours can never be monitored fully. That is why it is important to get into the chain when the stuff changes hands”, Aarnio emphasises.
     
When the flow of money slows down, trust among the links in the chain starts to weaken. Everyone starts suspecting everyone else of deception. Guns, blackmail, and threats are typical features of the amphetamine trade.
      “Amphetamine is the substance that causes the greatest amount of trouble, when people move around with guns, staying up for weeks on end. There is no glamour in the sale and trafficking of drugs”, Aarnio says.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Police bust massive drug ring in Helsinki region (28.9.2007)
  Most illegal drugs used in Finland pass through Helsinki region (28.1.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat