Finnish members of motorcycle gangs are believed to be involved in drug crime in Estonia. Police in Tallinn say that they have found evidence of drugs and linkages to organised crime in motorcycle gang clubhouses in the city.
Tallinn police commander Elmar Vaher would not directly comment on the nationality of the suspects. However, he says that the local police have worked closely with Finnish police on the matter.
Vaher was in Helsinki on Thursday taking part in a conference of police chiefs of European capital cities. One of the topics of the conference was a call for closer cooperation among European police organisations.
Vaher said that two or three motorcycle gangs are operating in Estonia, and that officials are monitoring their activities closely.
The Finnish Bandidos MC gang has allegedly extended its operations to Estonia, organising contacts with the Tallinn-based mercenaries MC.
Vaher is not saying how many motorcycle gang members are under investigation, or the number of cases. He says that there is evidence of their involvement in drug crime and other aspects of organised crime.
Cooperation between Finnish and Estonian police was described as positive.
“Our cooperation with the Finns works as well as that between the police in Tallinn and Pärnu, for instance”, he explains.
There are several liaisons that help in the passage of information between the Tallinn and Helsinki police on the movements of suspects, for instance.
“It is important for us to get information on the way that local criminal groups operate.”
“In this way we can interrogate more efficiently, and to evaluate when someone is trying to deceive us”, Vaher says.