Finnish police have exposed a criminal organisation responsible for smuggling at least 15 kilograms of cocaine into the country through a series of coordinated operations one of which involved transporting drugs in a vehicle with a child under three years old.
Published: 17/07/25 | 22:13
Initial arrests were made in March during which officers confiscated five kilograms of cocaine, approximately 30 kilograms of marijuana and over 100,000 euros in counterfeit currency from two individuals.
According to Detective Chief Inspector Markku Juurikkamäki the use of fake money is highly unusual in such cases.
“It’s rare for those involved in organised drug trafficking to use counterfeit bills in transactions let alone trust others with them,” he said.
The suspects had rented an apartment in Helsinki’s Lauttasaari district to store drugs and investigators believe the criminal group has been operating since at least August 2024. The network was highly structured and involved individuals from several European nations.
Police reported that the forged euro notes were of notably high quality.
“Our team didn’t immediately notice the bills were counterfeit and only upon detailed examination did they raise suspicions,” Juurikkamäki said. Authorities are still trying to trace the origin of the counterfeit money and determine the total amount in circulation.
Investigators suspect the group transferred large sums that were potentially hundreds of thousands of euros abroad including to Belgium and Kosovo to launder the drug money.
Police say cocaine use and trafficking have surged in Finland recently with street prices reaching as high as 100 euros per gram.
Thirteen individuals are under investigation five of whom remain in custody pending trial. Authorities also revealed that several of the main suspects are related.
The group is composed of Finnish nationals, individuals from Kosovo, people with dual citizenship as well as suspects from Albania and Estonia.
