Finnish Customs officers suspect that a freight forwarding sector company in the Helsinki region has been exporting sanctioned goods that have ended up in Russia.
The agency has opened a preliminary investigation into the suspected export crimes that allegedly took place in 2022-2025. The estimated value of the sanctioned goods amounted to around 300,000 euros, the office said in a press release on Wednesday.
Among other things, Customs said the exported items included bearings and motors used in industrial settings.
According to the agency, the firm is suspected of exporting goods to Russia through third countries, and it has also attempted to export dual-use items directly to Russia without obtaining an export license.
Customs said that it managed to intercept a consignment of dual-use items.
The majority of the exports were however sent via third countries, according to Hanna Koskenranta, the agency's lead investigator in the case.
"Most of the goods under investigation have exited the European Union via either Lithuania or Poland to Belarus, destined for Central Asian states, such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan," Koskenranta said in the release.
"Another often used transport route has run through Europe and the goods have exited the EU via Bulgaria. One significant consignee of the goods has been a company that has subsequently been added to the US and EU sanctions lists," she continued.
Suspect is Soviet-born man living in Helsinki
The company had operated for several years in the forwarding sector before 2022, with a focus on trade with Russia, according to Customs. But after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, the firm began exporting to states surrounding Russia, the agency said.
Customs said that seizures carried out during a search gave it reason to suspect the firm acted as an intermediary between European and Russian firms.
"It is also suspected that the Finnish company itself has purchased some of the delivered goods from Europe and that it has delivered them to Russia via third countries," the press release read.
Customs said the investigation has involved the cooperation of various authorities in other countries.
The case is being investigated as an aggravated regulation offence.
"There is one main suspect in the case, who is the sole responsible person in the company. The person is a middle-aged man born in the Soviet Union and residing in Finland," the agency said.
The case will be handed to the prosecutor's office of Southern Finland for consideration of charges, after the investigation is complete.
