Finnish Customs recorded more than 6,200 customs offences last year, with a significant rise in suspected aggravated drugs- as well as Russian sanctions-related offences, the agency announced in a press release on Tuesday.
The law enforcement agency said that its officers uncovered 10 "completely new designer drugs" last year.
"Last year's phenomena were the continued rise in suspected regulation offences due to efforts to circumvent the sanctions against Russia, the slump in illegal import of [the oral tobacco product] snus after the deregulation of the sale of nicotine pouches, and the rise in cigarette smuggling," said Hannu Sinkkonen, Finnish Customs' enforcement director.
Sinkkonen added that the number of seizures of narcotic medicine that the agency carried out remained at a high level — despite a minor decrease in the quantities of the seizures.
10 new drugs
There was a "huge increase" in the number of seizures of ketamine, which is classified as a medicine but is also known as a recreational drug.
"We found 10 completely new narcotic substances, and altogether, Customs identified more than 130 different narcotic substances that were entering Finland. Of these substances, 12 are not classified in Finland," Sinkkonen said in the release.
In total, Customs recorded 1,556 narcotic offences — 390 of which were aggravated crimes. The agency also reported it seized 465 kg of cannabis and 90,000 ecstasy tablets last year.
Finnish Customs also dealt with a number of violations of sanctions placed on Russia by the EU. The agency opened 492 new investigations into regulation (sanctions) offences and 58 cases of suspected aggravated regulation offences.
The agency said the societal impact of its law enforcement efforts amounted to nearly 88 million euros last year.