This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

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