Police apprehend organized crime suspects
The Central Criminal Police on Tuesday brought officials suspicions of forming a criminal organization against a 55-year-old man and belonging to said organization against five men.
A suspected leader of an organized crime group and two men, who are believed to have played a significant role in the organization's activities, were detained as suspects, a spokesperson for the Prosecutor's Office said. At the request of the prosecution and with the permission of Harju County Court, two of the suspects were taken into custody.
Some of the suspects are currently serving prison sentences for previous crimes. In addition to creating, leading and being part of a criminal organization, its members are also suspected of committing drug-related, property and personal crimes.
State Prosecutor Raigo Aas stated that, according to the suspicion, a 55-year-old man created a criminal organization in 2017 with the purpose of generating criminal profits through the commission of crimes.
"According to the suspicion, the leader of the criminal organization had gathered around him people loyal to him, who, as members of the organization, committed crimes. The profits derived from these crimes were shared with the criminal organization. The suspicion includes drug-related and property crimes, as well as serious personal crimes, such as threats of murder, extortion and physical abuse," said Aas.
Ago Leis, the head of the Central Criminal Police's organized crime bureau, noted that it is significant in this particular suspicion that there have not been many purely Estonian-speaking criminal organizations.
"However, this does not mean that their activities were confined only to Estonia. According to the suspicion, they tested international boundaries and operated in countries like Finland," added Leis.
Leis also mentioned there is reason to believe that the group used violence, manipulation and extortion to solve problems and get their way. "The so-called 'protection' offered to solve problems and the negative power described in the suspicion, where matters are conducted according to the principles of the criminal world, are in no way acceptable today."
The pre-trial investigation is conducted by the Central Criminal Police under the direction of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski
