Estonian court convicts two in large-scale cannabis case

The Pärnu County Court found Age-Theresa Tammaru and Raigo Sõkkal guilty of the illegal handling of a large quantity of narcotic substances. The court also convicted Tammaru of the illegal possession of a firearm. According to the defense attorney, they will likely appeal the verdict to a higher court.
The court sentenced Tammaru to three years and two months in prison, deducting the time already served in pre-trial detention. The remaining sentence is conditionally suspended for two years, five months and 13 days, with a probation period of three years and six months.
Sõkkal was sentenced to three years in prison. The court added the remaining portion of a previous sentence, amounting to one year, six months and 12 days. Time served in pre-trial detention will be deducted. The remaining sentence is conditionally suspended for three years, four months and 12 days, with a probation period of four years and eight months, during which he must comply with behavioral monitoring requirements.
The probation period begins on March 12. The court confiscated the seized narcotics and a smoothbore hunting rifle.
Tammaru must pay procedural costs totaling €6,090, while Sõkkal is required to pay €11,318.
The prosecution had sought a harsher punishment for both Tammaru and Sõkkal. It will review the court's reasoning and then decide whether to appeal.
Tammaru and Sõkkal's defense attorney, Silver Reinsaar, said he will likely appeal the decision to a higher court.
"Establishing criminal liability also requires proving intent. The defense position is that the defendants believed the THC content in the cannabis did not exceed legal limits. This case differs from typical drug trafficking cases because the THC levels only slightly exceeded the permitted 0.3 percent threshold. The concentration did not reach the levels found in cannabis sold on the street. This suggests that the defendants did not intend to handle illegal cannabis. The court did not accept this argument, but such evidence was presented. In the oral justification, we did not hear any explanations that would contradict the defense's position. Since we do not yet have the written decision, I cannot comment further," Reinsaar said.
Tammaru and Sõkkal were accused of the illegal possession, storage and handling of large quantities of various narcotic substances, including cannabis (as well as a cannabis and tobacco mixture) and its processed products with THC levels exceeding 0.3 percent, psilocybin-containing mushrooms, mescaline-containing plant material and traces of mescaline-containing cactus. The charges stated that they acted together and in coordination.
The case involved the handling of approximately 6.3 kg of substances, primarily cannabis and its processed products. Tammaru was also accused of the illegal possession of a firearm.
The court did not find the defendants guilty of committing the crime as part of a group.
During the trial, there was no dispute that Tammaru had been growing cannabis and producing various cannabis-based products for a long time. She claimed that her goal since 2016 had been to cultivate CBD cannabis.
The court concluded that Tammaru was aware that at least some of the cannabis and its processed products contained THC levels above the legal limit.
This was supported by annual tests commissioned by Tammaru herself since 2016. She had dry matter, paste, extract and cannabis flowers analyzed each year, and the results consistently showed THC levels above the permitted threshold.
According to the court, these annual tests contradict the defense's claim that Tammaru may have been unaware of the THC content. The court determined that Tammaru acted with at least indirect intent.
Regarding Sõkkal, the court found that he had been living with Tammaru at her farm since early March 2022. It also established that he possessed and stored 56.7 grams of cannabis leaves, flowers, stems and ground cannabis with THC levels ranging from 0.93 to 6.5 percent in a drawer in the guest room. Additionally, he had a mixture of ground cannabis and tobacco with a THC content of 2.1 percent.
Cannabis (except for EU-registered industrial hemp varieties with THC levels below 0.3 percent) and its processed products, as well as mescaline and psilocybin, are classified as narcotic and psychotropic substances.
Neither defendant had the required permits to handle these substances. Tammaru also did not have a firearms license.
The court ruling has not yet entered into force.
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Marcus Turovski