Tag: Finnish Customs
Finnish customs will collect 308 million euros in taxes for Finland and the EU in 2023
Of this, 162 million euros were allocated to the EU, of which Finland kept a 25% “reward”, which is 54 million euros. According to Tom Fermi, who is responsible for Customs' customer relations and tax collection, the EUR 81 million decrease in customs duties from the previous year was primarily due to a decrease in…
Customs: Thousands of drones were exported from Finland to Russia
Customs authorities have also investigated the transport of anti-drone technology worth more than 350,000 euros through Russia to Kazakhstan. The transfer of technology would have required a permit for the export of defense equipment, but the exporter had not applied for a permit. Customs suspects that one of the companies has been tasked with acquiring…
A customs dog uncovers a 12-kilogram shipment of cannabis – Dogs prove invaluable in uncovering large smuggling operations
During the inspection, the official drug detection dog Hessu informed the police about a suspicious package that had arrived from abroad. After a closer look, around 12 kilos of cannabis buds were found in the package. The estimated street value of the confiscated narcotics was around 240,000 euros. “We often carry out surveillance with Goofy…
Customs seized the Piilopuoti web server with a major breakthrough in the anonymous tor network
It operated as a hidden service on the encrypted Tor network, providing users with anonymity. Unfortunately, the site had been widely used for illegal activities, mainly drug trafficking. In most cases, the drugs offered on the platform had been smuggled into Finland from abroad. During the preliminary investigation, the Finnish Customs has cooperated extensively with…
According to the Border Guard, Finland has banned Russian cars
According to Finnish customs, only about 11 cars with Russian license plates tried to cross the border on Saturday, compared to an average of 250 every day.
Restrictions on the entry of Russian-registered cars into Finland come into force
Finland is committed to fully implementing these sanctions, emphasizing the effectiveness of their implementation and preventing sanctions evasion. Since border states are particularly vulnerable to attempts to avoid these sanctions, Finland emphasizes the importance of uniform interpretation of sanctions regulations among EU member states, especially at the border. On September 8, the European Commission published…
Finnish Customs busts massive snus smuggling operation from Sweden
Based on this discovery, Customs suspects that over 20,000 kg of snus had been smuggled from Sweden to Finland between 2020 and 2022. A considerable portion of this illegal haul, more than 10,000 kg, was transported to Pirkanmaa and allegedly sold through various social media platforms. It is also suspected that the smuggled snus found…
Finnish Customs investigates large-scale smuggling of marijuana and hashish worth 4 million euros
The largest seizure, comprising approximately 90 kilograms of marijuana and 10 kilograms of hashish, was discovered at a self-storage facility in Helsinki. The illicit substances were ingeniously concealed in nearly 400 rucksacks, all of which were seized during the operation. Additionally, authorities have confiscated 45,000 euros in cash and two unlicensed handguns, with suspicions that…
Illegal distribution of snus and cigarettes uncovered in Finland's Pirkanmaa and Helsinki regions
According to the report, the illicit activities primarily revolved around the illegal importation of snus from Sweden and cigarettes from the Baltic countries. The main suspect, hailing from Pirkanmaa, was believed to have orchestrated the smuggling operations and acted as a hub for distribution through so-called sub-dealers. It is estimated that this individual alone profited…
Customs reveals large-scale snuff smuggling – 17 suspects
The suspected smuggling of snuff is believed to have started in Haparanna, Sweden, from where large quantities of snuff were brought illegally to Finland. From Haaparana, the snuff was then transported to Kemi in Finland and later to the capital region. Initially, snuff was brought to Finland by car, but then it was repacked in…
Customs busted a dog smuggling ring: Illegal activity generates significant financial benefits
The relentless effort of Finnish Customs has shed light on the matter and emphasized the importance of strict checks on potential pet buyers to prevent such illegal practices. The smuggler behind the operation had cunningly avoided the necessary vaccinations and treatments that are required to import dogs to Finland. This illegal activity is suspected to…
The impact of the war on Nokian Tires, winter combat lessons and Tango: Finland in the world press
The article considers how the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has forced the Finnish tire company Nokian Renkaat to change its business strategy. Before the war, Nokian Tires manufactured 80% of its tires in Russia, taking advantage of cheap energy costs. However, after the outbreak of the war and the sanctions imposed on Russia,…
The EU introduces stricter sanctions against Russia: trailers with Russian license plates are banned in the EU
The new sanctions package, which came into effect at midnight on June 24, 2023, strictly prohibits the operation of trailers and semi-trailers with Russian license plates in the EU. This ban applies to trailers towed by trucks registered outside of Russia. It is important to note that the entry of cars with Russian license plates…
Finnish Customs investigates environmental violations in international waste transport
International shipments of waste are regulated by international conventions and agreements as well as a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council. The primary objective of these regulations is to protect the environment and ensure the proper treatment of waste. In Finland, Customs is responsible for monitoring international waste shipments in cooperation with the…
Finnish motor insurances are no longer valid in Russia from June
This means that motor insurance policies issued in Finland, other EEA countries or Switzerland will no longer be valid in Russia and Belarus in June. Some insurance companies have already stopped issuing green cards for travel to these countries. “All green cards issued for travel to Russia and Belarus expire at the beginning of June.…
Finnish customs’ reports are at their peak in terms of regulatory crimes and drug seizures for violation of anti-Russian sanctions
The social effects of Customs’ crime prevention have exceeded 100 million euros, and most of the violations are related to sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Supervisory director Hannu Sinkkonen said that the number of violations of regulations has increased significantly, and last year more than 300 cases were taken into preliminary investigation. Sinkkonen also stated…
Drug smuggling, Russian sanctions keep Customs busy
Violation of sanctions against Russia helped bring regulatory violations to the top last year, says Finnish Customs.
Finnish customs and police uncover a marijuana smuggling operation from abroad
The investigation, which began in the late summer of 2022, led to the seizure of almost 40 kilograms of marijuana and approximately 95,000 euros in cash. The cash is believed to be partly criminal proceeds from marijuana already in circulation and partly to pay for a new import batch. The organization is suspected of having…
Russian buyers take the Norwegian Schengen shortcut to Finland
Finland closed its border with Russia last year due to the attack on Ukraine, but it has not reduced the number of Russian purchases arriving from Norway. Finnish customs cannot intervene because Norway is in the Schengen area.
Finnish customs seized the technical equipment at the Russian border
Goods have been found in the possession of persons traveling to Russia "can advance Russia’s industrial and military capabilities, such as naval aids" Customs said in a press release on Wednesday. "Technical devices such as chartplotters and sonar-type devices and drones are available. Then there are also products that we cannot comment on at this…
Finnish Customs legally sold its lost cryptocurrencies
The two cryptocurrency brokers chosen by Customs sold the bitcoins through a competitive negotiation procedure in late spring. Customs has seized bitcoins in connection with the investigation of drug and doping crimes. In addition to the bitcoins that have now been realized, Customs has approximately 90 bitcoins in its possession that are awaiting a legally…
A Finnish CBD entrepreneur may be prosecuted for drugs
The Finnish entrepreneur’s hemp and CBD oil business is being investigated by the Finnish customs authorities for serious drug offenses. Now an entrepreneur Tuomas Ahonen told Yle that he was the main suspect in an ongoing investigation. Ahonen has worked in two companies selling hemp-based products, one focusing on the sale of industrial hemp flowers…
Finland publishes confiscated Russian art
Finnish Customs announced on Saturday that it had released a Russian art consignment seized the previous weekend. Sami RakshitThe head of the Customs Control Department said that the consignment left the Vaalimaa border crossing, where the authorities confiscated works of art a week earlier on suspicion that the consignment had violated EU sanctions. The Hermitage…
Art transports detained in the constituency have continued to Russia
Following the granting of an exemption by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were no longer any barriers to the entry of works of art. The European Union has imposed extensive sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. As an enforcement authority, Customs is responsible for enforcing sanctions agreed at EU level on freight…
Russia considers the confiscation of works of art illegal, invites Finland’s ambassador to Moscow
The Kremlin has invited Finland’s ambassador to Russia to discuss the seizure of Finnish customs’ works of art in Russia. On Wednesday, Finnish customs announced that they had seized three consignments of works of art at the Vaalimaa border crossing during the weekend. According to Customs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, items worth 42…
Finnish customs freeze 21 luxury yachts, appealing against sanctions against Russia
The Finnish customs authorities have banned the movement of 21 luxury pleasure boats out of Finnish waters. The boats are believed to be subject to EU sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Helsingin Sanomat was the first to inform Customs of the decision to freeze the ships and confirmed to Yle Sami Rakshithead…
Finnish Customs levies taxes on Finland and the European Union
Maximum tax revenue 2021 2022 Customs duties EUR 205 million EUR 174 million Fairway charges EUR 45 million EUR 47 million That VAT EUR 40 million EUR 26 million Service fees, etc. EUR 4 million EUR 3 million – The most significant part of the total amount of taxes is customs duties, which we collected…
Finnish customs seized a record amount of snuff
New Customs statistics show a booming black market for snus and a huge increase in smuggling. In 2011, customs seized more than 30 kilos of snus, last year more than 9,000 kilos. The smuggling of snus has become more professional over the years. It is an oral tobacco product that is usually placed under the…
Finnish customs seize a record amount of snuff and drugs
In 2021, the number of customs offenses was at its lowest in eight years. This is mainly due to the COVID-19 situation, which caused a decline in passenger travel, but there is also a wider change behind it. – The social impact of the fight against customs crime increased last year, although the total number…
Finland’s int’l trade will recover in 2021, but the deficit will increase
HELSINKI, FEBRUARY 7 (Xinhua) – The value of Finland’s exports of goods increased by 19.4 percent in 2021, to 68.6 billion euros (78.5 billion US dollars), according to Finnish customs preliminary data published on Monday. At the same time, the value of imports rose by 21.5 percent to EUR 72.6 billion. In 2021, the Finnish…
Finland's Trade deficit was notably larger in 2021 than the year before
Presented quarterly, the change in the value of exports and imports took only a slight upward turn in the first quarter of 2021 following the decline in the previous year. Exports increased by 4.4 per cent and imports by 1.8 per cent. In the second quarter, exports rose already by 25.7 per cent, followed by…