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Tag: Finland

  • Finland Seizes 10M Cigarettes in Transnational Network Case

    Finland Seizes 10M Cigarettes in Transnational Network Case

    Finnish Customs has uncovered a large-scale cigarette smuggling operation involving more than 10 million cigarettes illegally brought into the country, with unpaid import duties exceeding €3.5 million, according to the Helsinki Times. Authorities said the cigarettes were transported using regular logistics channels in a way that closely mimicked legitimate cargo operations. The shipments were ordered, collected, and stored through standard delivery procedures to conceal their illicit nature.

    “The pick-up, transport and storage of illegal goods was ordered just as in a legal delivery,” said Janne Mikkonen, the customs officer leading the investigation. “In this case, all of the imported cigarettes were brought in by the same driver, who is one of the suspects and remains in pre-trial detention.”

    The case is linked to a broader criminal investigation that began last autumn that has grown into a transnational case involving multiple suspects and law enforcement agencies. Four suspects from Baltic countries are currently in custody in Finland, and additional arrests have been made in Estonia and Latvia, where several individuals are being held in connection with the operation. Customs officials have not ruled out further arrests and say the investigation is ongoing. The operation is considered part of an organized network that exploited legal transport systems to distribute untaxed tobacco products across borders.

  • Finland to Hike Tobacco Taxes

    Finland to Hike Tobacco Taxes

    Image: Schlierner

    Finland will increase tobacco taxes by nearly 30 percent between now and 2027, reports Yle News.

    The raises will take place in six increments and eventually drive the price of a pack of cigarettes above €13 ($14.16). Tobacco taxes will be raised twice a year until July 2027, for a total increase of 27.1 percent.

    The government aims to earn around €100 million from the tobacco tax increases.

    The tax increases will apply to cigarettes, loose tobacco, pipe tobacco, cigars and cigarillos. However, nicotine pouches and e-cigarette liquids will not be affected by these hikes.

     After the increases, a pack of cigarettes will cost an average of around €13.20.

  • Finnish Teens Ditching Cigarettes

    Finnish Teens Ditching Cigarettes

    Image: sezerozger

    Finnish teens are drinking and smoking less but using more e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, reports the Helsinki Times, citing findings from a European survey

    The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) has been monitoring substance use among European students since 1995.

    Conducted every four years, the survey includes 16-year-olds across 23 to 39 European countries.

    The proportion of ninth graders who have never consumed alcohol has increased dramatically from 10 percent in 1995 to 35 percent in 2024.

    Only 6 percent of boys and 4 percent of girls smoked daily in 2024, down from around 20 percent at the beginning of the decade. However, vaping has been rising, with 40 percent of teens having tried e-cigarettes, up from 34 percent in 2019. Daily use is reported by 9 percent of boys and 13 percent of girls.

    The use of snus, a form of smokeless tobacco, has also dropped. In 2024, 26 percent of boys and 13 percent of girls had tried snus, with daily use at 7 percent for boys and 3 percent for girls.

    Teen use of nicotine pouches increased after Finland permitted the sale of modern oral products in 2023. By 2024, 31 percent of boys and 17 percent of girls had tried nicotine pouches, with 11 percent of boys and 3 percent of girls using them daily.

    Cannabis experimentation decreased slightly during the period studied, particularly among boys, with 11 percent of boys and 9 percent of girls having tried it in 2024.

    The full ESPAD report will be published in 2025.

  • Finland Aims for Pouch Regulation Like Tobacco

    Finland Aims for Pouch Regulation Like Tobacco

    Photo: ir1ska

    The government of Finland wants to bring nicotine pouches under tobacco laws so that it can more effectively discourage consumption, reports YLE.

    Among other measures, it wants to curb pouch nicotine levels to 20 milligrams per gram of product. In addition, the government wants to prohibit the online sales of nicotine pouches and limit the range of flavors, in an effort to reduce the products’ appeal to young people.

    Under the proposals, retailers selling pouches would need to obtain a license, while importers would face restrictions.

    The stated aim of the proposed legal reform is to prevent health risks and the use of oral nicotine among young people.

    The widespread availability of strong nicotine pouches in Finland has reportedly reduced the smuggling of oral tobacco products from neighboring Sweden.

  • E-cigarette Smugglers Found in Finland

    E-cigarette Smugglers Found in Finland

    Photo: Kekyalyaynen

    Finnish Customs uncovered a substantial e-cigarette smuggling operation in Helsinki, according to The Helsinki Times. The operation involved illicit imports from China.

    Customs officers discovered a shipment of about 1,000 nicotine e-cigarettes during routine inspections at a courier terminal in Helsinki. The suspect had ordered about 1,600 e-cigarettes from China in 2023.

    Finland prohibits importation of vapes through “distant communication methods” like online orders. Penalties can range from fines to imprisonment plus paying back evaded taxes and illicit gains.

    Some people are unaware of the rules, however. “Not all those persons always know that it is illegal to order and distribute e-cigarettes,” said Marko Laitinen, investigation leader, referring to young people ordering e-cigarettes. “Once you get caught doing that, it always entails criminal liability.”

  • Finland: Smoke-Free Tax Plans Draw Fire

    Finland: Smoke-Free Tax Plans Draw Fire

    Photo: Marko Hannula

    The Finnish government’s recent proposal to increase taxes on nicotine pouches and vape liquids has drawn criticism from the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA). The current plan would increase the price of one nicotine pouch box by approximately €2.50 ($2.74).

    This move, which aims to bring smokeless nicotine products under tobacco taxation, is a significant step backwards in harm reduction efforts, according to the consumer group.

    “Finland’s plan to increase taxes on less harmful nicotine alternatives is deeply concerning. Not only does this reduce the price differential between deadly cigarettes and safer alternatives, but it also directly undermines public health goals. By making products like nicotine pouches and vape liquids more expensive, we risk discouraging smokers from switching to these less harmful alternatives,” said WVA Director Michael Landl in a statement.

    The proposal, which seeks to amend the law on tobacco taxation, will encompass smoke-free nicotine products, including nicotine pouches and vape liquids. The WVA warns that such tax increases will disproportionately impact low-income groups, who statistically exhibit higher smoking rates.

    “Imposing higher taxes on harm reduction products hits the most vulnerable groups the hardest. These are the same groups with the highest smoking rates. Instead of providing them with affordable alternatives to quit smoking, the government is pushing them back to the more harmful habit. This move by the Finnish government is a step in the wrong direction that ignores public health benefits and deepens social inequalities,” said Landl.

    The WVA suggested that the Finnish lawmakers don’t need to look far for successful examples of harm reduction. Sweden is on track to become the first smoke-free country because of its progressive harm reduction policies. Earlier this year, Sweden announced a program of lowering tax on snus and nicotine pouches while significantly raising cigarette tax.

  • Finland and Estonia Investigate Smuggling

    Finland and Estonia Investigate Smuggling

    Image: Oleksii

    Finland and Estonia are investigating a criminal case involving the illegal import of millions of cigarettes into Finland from Estonia and Latvia, reports The Baltic Times.

    By failing to declare imports and pay taxes, Finland missed out on approximately €2 million ($2.18 million) in revenue, according to fiscal authorities.

    Finnish and Estonian law enforcement officers recently seized two freight consignments containing a total of almost half a million cigarettes. The seizures are part of a criminal case estimated to involve the illegal import of about 6 million cigarettes spread over more than 20 different occasions between March and December 2022.

     Some of the cigarettes were found to be counterfeit products.

     During the criminal investigation, five persons have been apprehended in Finland and Estonia.

    Sanctions on Russia and the sharp fall in traffic across Finland’s eastern border have shifted many illegal imports to postal and express freight transport, the Finnish customs authority reports.

  • Finland Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Finland Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Photo: sezerozger

    On May 1, 2022, a revised Tobacco Act took effect in Finland as part of a long-term strategy to eliminate smoking, according to reports by YLE News and Business Standard.

    Smoking at playgrounds and on public beaches is now banned. The beach ban is in effect annually from the beginning of May to the end of September.

    The ban aims to protect youth from secondhand smoke as well as reduce littering and environmental damage related to smoking.

    Tobacco flavoring products including flavor cards are also banned under the revised legislation. Characterizing flavors such as menthol or strawberry in cigarettes were illegal already. The new rules are targeted at products that enable consumers to flavor their unflavored tobacco products.

    Products already in stores and warehouses have until the end of April 2023 to be sold.

    By May 2023, stricter regulations on product packaging will go into effect. Brand images will no longer be allowed on packaging, with the goal of reducing the appeal of tobacco products.

    Finland has been gradually restricting public smoking since 1976, starting with bans on public transport and later extending to all public indoor areas.