Restaurant in Helsinki suspected of selling 4,500 nitrous oxide bottles for drug use

By admin On Jun 11, 2025

Police in Helsinki. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva

A restaurant in central Helsinki is under investigation for allegedly selling nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, for recreational purposes. Helsinki police suspect that the venue distributed around 4,500 bottles of the gas between late 2023 and summer 2024.

The suspected activity was uncovered during a routine police surveillance operation. Officers launched an investigation after noticing irregularities in the restaurant’s operations.

The customers were private individuals, according to police, who obtained the gas for intoxicant use. Investigators estimate the number of buyers to be in the dozens.

The case is being treated as a health offence under Finnish law. While possession of nitrous oxide for personal use is not a punishable offence, the sale and distribution of the chemical for intoxicant purposes is illegal under chemical legislation.

Police have seized approximately 1,200 bottles from the suspected seller. Each bottle weighs about 1.4 kilograms. The gas containers were stored on pallets and some were found in vehicles linked to the case.

Further investigation revealed that the suspect had imported the nitrous oxide from within the EU. The police estimate that a total of 4,500 bottles were sold through the restaurant premises.

“Our estimate is based on documents and other evidence gathered during the investigation,” Markus Metsänen, the detective chief inspector leading the case, told Yle.

Police also confiscated an undisclosed amount of cash from the restaurant, believed to be proceeds from the gas sales.

Health offences of this type are rare in Finland. “We’ve had only a handful of such cases in the past ten years,” Metsänen said.

The case has now been transferred to the prosecutor’s office for consideration of charges.

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi