Court sentences drug smugglers to six and ten years in prison
The Harju County court gave long sentences to two leaders of a group involved in bringing nearly five kilograms of amphetamine and more than 10,000 ecstasy pills from the Netherlands to Estonia.
The court sentenced Ahmed-Aga Gasimov, who masterminded the criminal operation, to 10 years, and his right-hand man Andrei Jelin to six years behind bars.
Couriers and other helpers, seven of whom were on trial, received partially conditional sentences ranging from three to six years. In addition, the court confiscated more than €21,000 worth of cash.
Two women and two men were stopped by officers of the police and the Tax and Customs Board near the Latvian border on Jan. 26. An inspection of their car produced around five kilograms of amphetamine powder and three kilograms of ecstasy pills. Three of the detained passengers were Estonian nationals, one of undefined nationality.
On the same day, officers of the central criminal police detained another four men in Tallinn suspected of having organized transport of the drugs. Two of them were Dutch nationals, the other two local residents of undefined citizenship. A ninth person connected with the case was also arrested.
Six out of the eight detainees, including the Dutch nationals, were remanded in custody for the period of pre-trial investigation. The investigation data indicated that the narcotics were intended for the Finnish market, but it was likely that part of them were to be distributed on the Estonian market, prosecutor Vahur Verte said at that time.
Head of division Ago Leis said the discovery of this transit channel had been possible thanks to the formation of a joint investigative unit of the central criminal police and the Finnish customs authority. “To us, the cooperation with foreign partners is very important, because that's the only way to prevent the activity of international criminal gangs,” he said.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: BNS