The Helsinki Court of Appeal has shortened the sentences of two men found guilty in relation to a record cocaine seizure in the city of Espoo in December 2019.
A group of four masked men attacked a property owned by the Algol corporation in broad daylight on 15 December that year, but were apprehended by police at the Olympia Terminal at Helsinki's South Harbour later the same day.
Police subsequently found 176.1 kilos of cocaine, apparently the largest haul ever found in Finland, hidden in a container in the Espoo warehouse. The high cocaine purity of the batch put its street value at an estimated 25 million euros.
The contraband arrived into Vuosaari harbour via ship in a container hidden among legal cargo, before being transported to Algol's warehouse in Espoo.
The men broke into the warehouse over the security fence, holding one person at gunpoint and hitting another with a gun. However, the men did not manage to locate the cocaine.
Last October, Helsinki District Court sentenced a 28-year-old man to eight years in prison for a felony drug offence, but the Court of Appeal has now reduced that sentence to six and a half years.
In addition, a 22-year-old man, who received a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence, had his sentence shortened to six years.
The men were just following orders
According to the Court of Appeal, the men were not responsible for organising the criminal activity, but acted on instructions received from superiors within the crime gang's hierarchy.
In addition, one of the men provided information to the police that facilitated the investigation of the crime.
The remaining two convicted men did not appeal their sentences. A 21-year-old defendant was sentenced by the district court to nine years and three months in prison for a felony drug offence and illegal threat, while a 28-year-old man was sentenced to ten years in prison for a felony drug offence, aggravated assault and illegal threat.
According to the district court, the 28-year-old man acted as the leader of the group and was involved in organising the crimes by acquiring cars, durable bags and an air rifle which resembled a real weapon.
