The convicted crews in the court.Photo Lehtikuva
A number of crew members of a Russian cargo aircraft were convicted for smuggling tobacco to Finland and sentenced to conditional imprisonment of different terms.
The Vantaa District Court awarded the punishment – ranging from 11 months to two years - as the allegation brought against them had been proved beyond doubt.
The crew members were caught in autumn 2012. They rose suspicion in the minds of customs officials when they arrived at the Helsinki Airport with a luggage that seemed too big for a one-night stay.
The two main accused were sentenced to two years of conditional imprisonment for tax fraud. The court found that the duo had been working in Finland and smuggling cigarettes from spring 2011. One of them admitted that they had smuggled more than 14,000 cartons of cigarettes.
