Drugs seized by the police. Photo: Police
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A 17-year-old schoolboy from Helsinki has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for operating a drug network worth over €370,000. The court found that the boy, based in the Ullanlinna district, acted as a central figure in receiving and distributing large quantities of narcotics during a six-month period in 2024.
Helsinki District Court ruled on Wednesday that the youth sold nearly 25,000 Subutex tablets, 2.5 kilograms of hashish, over 3,500 Oxycontin tablets, and a quantity of cocaine between May and November 2024.
The offences were conducted primarily via instant messaging apps including Telegram, Snapchat and Discord.
The court based its decision on video evidence recovered from the boy’s phone, recorded at his family’s home, showing drugs and large sums of cash. One video included the boy boasting of earning €200,000 from Subutex sales alone.
The boy denied the charges. He argued in court that it was implausible a school pupil could run such a large operation involving professional criminals. He also claimed that his phone had been used by others and that the goal had been to deceive and rob drug buyers, not to sell real narcotics.
During the investigation, police found extensive messages discussing drug sales, as well as photos of cash, luxury items, and drugs. Some images were taken in school bathrooms during lesson breaks.
In addition to drug trafficking, the boy was convicted of aggravated theft and property damage. The court heard that he had forced entry into another man’s apartment with a group and caused damages exceeding €10,000 while attempting to collect a drug debt.
The court also ordered the teenager to forfeit over €380,000 in criminal proceeds to the state.
Several of the boy’s associates received sentences ranging from conditional terms to four-and-a-half years in prison. One accomplice, Arias Leonardo Onni Ilmarinen (born 2006), was sentenced to 4.5 years for aggravated drug offences. Hassan Hany Mohamed Mahmoud (born 1982) received a 3.5-year prison sentence for drug and firearm offences. Others born in 2006 and 2008 received conditional prison terms.
The boy’s parents faced charges of aggravated money laundering after police found €127,440 in cash linked to the crimes. During an initial house search, authorities discovered €39,950 in the boy’s bedroom. Later, during a second search, they found €69,800 hidden in a shoebox in the parents’ bedroom.
The parents admitted to hiding the money and a luxury Rolex watch after their son’s arrest, claiming they did so to protect him from legal consequences. They did not inform the police of the hidden funds before the second search.
The court acquitted the parents, citing insufficient evidence to prove criminal intent. The parents had invoked their right not to incriminate themselves.
The investigation also revealed that the boy’s father threw a confiscated firearm into the sea. The weapon was never recovered. The son told police it was a toy gun. As a result, no firearm charges were brought.
The origin of the drugs remains unknown. Police have not identified the main supplier, though it was noted that the drugs were obtained in wholesale quantities.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
