The Ida-Uusimaa District Court sentenced dozens of people to prison in a large-scale drug case.
At the center of the case was an international criminal organization that imported over 600 kilograms of drugs into Finland and was involved in their distribution.
About 200 kilograms of this volume consisted of the synthetic drug alpha-PVP, which was brought into the country in various colors. Additionally, amphetamines, cocaine, and cannabis were supplied to Finland. The total value of the drugs on the black market exceeded 40 million euros.
The crimes were committed between 2023 and 2025 in the provinces of Uusimaa and Pirkanmaa. The drugs were specifically stored in apartments on Puistokatu Street in Espoo. According to the court, further distribution of the drugs was carried out using stash houses.
In the court's opinion, some of the convicted individuals committed crimes as part of an organized crime group.
In particular, in January, Spain extradited to Finland a 39-year-old man based on a European arrest warrant, who is considered one of the main organizers of the criminal scheme. He led the operations and hired people to transport drugs by car from Estonia to Finland, using ferries from the company Viking Line for this purpose.
Another key figure in the case was a 41-year-old man, whose role in the importation and distribution of drugs was deemed central by the court.
According to the court's assessment, individuals operating outside Finland are likely also involved in this case, who were not charged in this process.
The case also included episodes involving violence. One of the convicted individuals admitted that another figure in the same case beat him with a crowbar and a hammer over drug debts, while a third filmed the attack.
During the preliminary investigation, the Latvian police provided assistance, including data on locations and surveillance reports. The investigation also utilized DNA samples and communication data monitoring. Additionally, notebooks containing drug names, dates, and prices were seized from the apartments on Puistokatu Street.
Sentences were primarily handed down for serious drug-related crimes, as well as for causing grievous bodily harm and money laundering.
The main figures in the case, 39-year-old Janis Jakupcevic and 41-year-old Anatoly Mikhailov, were sentenced to the maximum penalty of 13 years in prison.
Egon Grossthal (36), Riho Ootsing (63), and Margot Willemsen (55) received 12 years in prison each.
Artur Lember (31) and Daniel Tarve (35) were sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment.
Additionally, another 22 individuals received prison sentences of at least two years.
In total, the district court found 27 people guilty in this case, including women. The geography of the criminals: Latvia, Estonia, Finland.
