The Haparanda District Court has convicted two men for aiding snus smuggling in a case involving cross-border trade between Sweden and Finland. According to prosecutor Jonas Fjellström, the convictions represent an important statement against illegal border trade.
The case dates back to February 2023 when a man purchased snus from six different shops in Haparanda for a total of 640,747 kronor. The man allegedly transported the snus into Finland by car and trailer without declaring the goods to customs. He was arrested upon returning to Haparanda with an empty trailer and over 800,000 kronor in cash, and was subsequently sentenced to prison for aggravated smuggling and aggravated money laundering, along with deportation.
The verdict shows that one cannot knowingly participate in smuggling on a large scale. One must be vigilant if someone buys snus for 100,000 - 200,000 kronor.
During the investigation, receipts were found linking to one of the snus shops, leading to a police raid. Two men - a shop manager and a co-owner who worked at the shop - received conditional sentences for aiding smuggling. A third man was acquitted as it could not be proven he had any knowledge or role in the snus sales.
Prosecutor Jonas Fjellström stated: 'The verdict shows that one cannot knowingly participate in smuggling on a large scale. One must be vigilant if someone buys snus for 100,000 - 200,000 kronor.' He added that he hopes the ruling will have a deterrent effect on future snus smuggling to Finland.