The Helsinki Police Department reported on Tuesday that a preliminary investigation into a cannabis smuggling ring has concluded.
The case was uncovered with help from the Operation Trojan Shield/OTF Greenlight crime fighting scheme, which was jointly conceived by the FBI and authorities in Australia.
The scheme involved tricking criminals around the world into using a encrypted messaging app called ANOM which could actually be viewed by law enforcement.
The cannabis smuggling investigation is only a small part of a much larger criminal operation, according to police.
Finnish police uncovered large cannabis imports in February, with the drugs being brought into Finland by lorry to a warehouse in northern Helsinki, according to the case's lead investigator, Helsinki Police Chief Inspector, Toni Uusikivi.
"The suspects unloaded the shipment and then went on to deliver the drugs. Police detained the suspects immediately as they were about to leave the first batch of cannabis to the recipient," Uusikivi said in a statement.
Police noted that some of the cannabis that was headed to Finland ended up in Estonia, due to an error made during unloading. A batch of cannabis was later seized by authorities in Estonia and the lorry driver was detained on suspicion of smuggling drugs.
Police: €3m estimated value
Uusikivi said that more than 140kg of cannabis was seized, with an estimated street value of more than three million euros.
Police said there were four people of interest in the case, they are suspected of aggravated drug crimes as well as aggravated firearms crimes.
People in the smuggling operation, who lived abroad as well as in Finland, allegedly helped to smuggle as well as distribute the drugs, according to authorities.
Police said that the group communicated exclusively on the encrypted messaging app in efforts to remain anonymous and hidden from authorities.
