4 held for human trafficking to Finland, USA

The Finnish Border Guard in a recent drive arrested four people on charge of human trafficking from Southern Europe to Finland and from Finland via Iceland and Mexico to the United States, said a press release on Thursday.

The alleged traffickers were arrested during a simultaneous house searches conducted on October 10 at Helsinki, Vantaa, and Tampere.

The operation was planned and implemented in cooperation with Europol and the United States authorities.

Cash worth thousands of euros was found packed in plastic bags and confiscated during the house searches. The origin of the money is under examination in the pre-trial investigation.

The Finnish Border Guard works in close cooperation with the other member states of the European Union to expose and solve crimes.

Actors involved in organised facilitation of illegal entry are often suspected of similar activities in several member states. In such situations, cooperation is coordinated with the help of Europol.

The US Border Patrol and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement are also investigating the matter regarding suspicions linked to North America.

The Crime Prevention Unit of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District (part of the Finnish Border Guard) is investigating the case.