Cocaine smuggling in Finland has reached a new level of complexity. Finnish police have uncovered a highly structured international drug operation involving at least 15 kilos of cocaine, fake euro notes, and suspects tied to multiple countries. What began as a local drug raid has turned into one of the most serious narcotics investigations in recent years.
The case first opened in March when two people were arrested. Inside a rented apartment in Lauttasaari, Helsinki, officers found five kilograms of cocaine, thirty kilos of marijuana, and over €100,000 in forged cash. The flat wasn’t lived in. It was a drug storage base.
Investigators now believe the cocaine smuggling in Finland had been going on since at least August 2024. What shocked many wasn’t just the amount of drugs. It was how they were being transported. In one instance, police found drugs hidden in a car carrying a child under three years old.
Detective Chief Inspector Markku Juurikkamäki, the lead investigator, called the setup unusual. “It’s not common in organized drug crimes for people to pay each other using counterfeit currency,” he said.
The fake euro notes were nearly perfect. Even the first officers to handle them didn’t spot anything odd. Only after a second inspection did the doubts begin. Police still don’t know where the notes came from or how many are still floating around.
The cocaine smuggling in Finland wasn’t the work of one person or even one group. The suspects include Finnish citizens, dual nationals, and individuals from Kosovo, Albania, and Estonia. Many are related by family. Some handled smuggling. Others moved money. A few managed storage. It was all part of a larger network.
Laundering the profits was just as methodical. Police believe hundreds of thousands of euros were wired out of the country to places like Belgium and Kosovo. Tracking those financial flows is now a key part of the investigation.
According to police, the street price of cocaine in Finland can hit €100 per gram. That kind of money draws risk. Demand is up. Supply is trying to keep pace. This has brought in new players, and bolder methods.
Thirteen people are now under investigation. Five remain in pretrial detention. The rest are being watched. For authorities, this isn’t just about seizing drugs. It’s about understanding the full scope of cocaine smuggling in Finland, and whether more networks are operating quietly across borders.
