The Helsinki Police Department has uncovered an extensive network importing and distributing illegal drugs in Finland. Authorities suspect the network of distributing hundreds of kilograms of various substances.
During a preliminary investigation, officers confiscated an exceptionally dangerous synthetic opioid which has increasingly circulated in Finland.
Helsinki police investigated the "extensive" drug importation and distribution operation last year, according to a press release.
Police said the criminal network imported around 200 kg of amphetamines, and "dozens of kilos of cocaine" to Finland. Police said officers managed to confiscate dozens of kilograms of amphetamines and smaller quantities of other narcotics.
After seeking out the leader of the drug distribution network, police started tracking the activities of an individual suspected of finding new buyers for the arriving batches of drugs.
10 times stronger than fentanyl
By following the activities of that suspect, police said they were led to others who were taking part in the crimes.
A police search of an apartment in Vantaa uncovered around 40 kg of amphetamines and several firearms, according to the release.
Now, police suspect a total of 21 individuals of mainly aggravated drug offences, eight of whom were in custody as of Friday.
Among the confiscated narcotics, a particularly dangerous substance called metonitazene was found, a synthetic opioid which is roughly 10 times stronger than fentanyl.
Authorities around the country, including in the eastern city of Kuopio have attributed several fatalities to the highly addictive drug.
In Finland, metonitazene has been found in tablets that resemble Subutex (buprenorphine) tablets, which are prescribed to help patients overcome opioid dependence, but frequently abused as a street drug.
"Metonitazene is particularly dangerous because, in the worst-case scenario, even a single tablet can lead to death. You can't tell what narcotics actually contain just by their appearance. Drug users can never know for sure whether the substance they are buying is what it's claimed to be," investigation director Markku Juurikkamäki said in the release.