FINLAND: 2005 INCSR SUPPLEMENTAL STATISTICAL DATA

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000328 SIPDIS STATE FOR INL, EUR/NB JUSTICE FOR OIA, AFMLS, AND NDDS TREASURY FOR FINCEN DEA FOR OILS AND OFFICE OF DIVERSION CONTROL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SNAR FI SUBJECT: FINLAND: 2005 INCSR SUPPLEMENTAL STATISTICAL DATA REF: A. HELSINKI 00122 ¶B. 04 STATE 248987 ¶1. (U) Post obtained the following statistics regarding narcotics arrests and seizures from Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). ¶2. (U) Arrests: There were 654 felony arrests for narcotics in 2004 and 15,338 total drug-related arrests. Most of the non-felony arrests were for possession of small amounts of narcotics. Felony arrests were down from 826 in 2003; total arrests were down from 15,996 in 2003. 529 of the felony arrests in 2004 were of Finnish nationals. 57 were of Estonians, 18 were of Russians, and 10 were of Vietnamese. There was a marked decrease in felony arrests of Estonian nationals. From 2001-2002, 327 Estonians were arrested in Finland for felony narcotics offenses inside Finland; from 2003-2004, there were only 138 Estonians arrested. ¶3. (U) Cannabis: In 2004, there were 2626 cases involving hashish, 2067 involving marijuana, and 1404 involving the seizure of "cannabis plants." Arrests for marijuana and "cannabis plants" were up from 2003, but cases involving hashish were slightly lower. Since 2001, narcotics cases involving marijuana have doubled; police attribute this to changing consumption habits among Finnish youth and the use of the EU's Schengen Treaty (which allows for entry without inspection among participating EU states) to facilitate importation of marijuana from Spain. Most of the marijuana cases involved arrests for simple possession of small amounts of the drug. Total seizures of hashish in 2004 were 467.4 KG, up from 423.1 KG in 2003. Marijuana seizures totaled 35.8 KG. ¶4. (U) Methamphetamine and 'Club Drugs': There were 3392 cases involving methamphetamines in 2004, down from 3687 in ¶2003. There were 328 cases involving ecstasy in 2004, up from 316 in 2003. There were 844 cases involving subutex in 2004, down from 1008 in 2003. Finnish police report that most methamphetamine and ecstasy comes from Estonia. Ecstasy and other MDMA-type drugs are reportedly readily available in metropolitan areas in dance clubs catering to Finnish youth and at "raves." There was also a smaller reported incidence of drugs such as GBH, ketamine ("Vitamin K"),etc. Total seizures of methamphetamine in 2004 were 101.8 KG, down from 114.6 KG in 2003. There were 23,243 ecstasy tablets seized in 2004, down from 35,216 in 2003. There were 32,970 tablets of subutex seized in 2004, down from 37,284 in 2003. ¶5. (U) Heroin and Cocaine: There were 45 narcotics cases involving heroin in 2004, down from 100 in 2003, and 557 in ¶2001. There were 65 cases involving cocaine in 2004, up from 49 in 2003. Police attribute at least some of the rapid drop-off in heroin cases to fear of low-quality heroin that began to appear in Finland in 2002. As heroin arrests and seizures have fallen, subutex arrests and seizures have correspondingly increased, indicating that many former heroin users have switched to the more easily obtainable (and presumably safer) subutex. There were 1.1 KG of cocaine seized in 2004, the same amount as in 2003. Cocaine use is relatively rare in Finland. ¶6. (U) Geographic Distribution of Arrests and Seizures: Most arrests occurred in larger, southern cities such as Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere. Fewer occurred in Lapland and in the Oulu area along the Bothnian Coast. The Helsinki port-of-entry recorded the most felony seizures and arrests, chiefly of smugglers from Estonia. MACK