Court of appeal increases sentences for two Joensuu men over drugs offences – almost a decade in prison
The Court of Appeal for Eastern Finland has toughened the sentences for two Joensuu men convicted of serious drug offences. The men sold kilograms of amphetamine and thousands of Subutex tablets during 2020–2021.
Court of appeal significantly increases drug offence sentences for two Joensuu men
The Court of Appeal for Eastern Finland has increased the sentences for two Joensuu men convicted of serious drug offences, Yle News reported. The men had sold several kilograms of amphetamine as well as thousands of Subutex tablets in Joensuu during 2020 and 2021.
The Court of Appeal sentenced the 45-year-old Mika Jorma Olavi Loijas to nine years and ten months' imprisonment. The 39-year-old Harri Juhani Kuokkanen received a sentence of seven years and five months. Loijas' sentence was increased by nearly two years, whilst Kuokkanen's was increased by a year and a half.
According to the Court of Appeal, the men distributed around 2,000 Subutex tablets in Joensuu in addition to amphetamine.
Legal proceedings lasting years
The case has been handled for several years and has progressed through different levels of court. The District Court of North Karelia sentenced Loijas in 2022 to six and a half years' imprisonment for two serious drug offences. Kuokkanen received a suspended sentence of one year and ten months at the same time.
In the Court of Appeal's 2023 proceedings, the prosecutor sought to expand the description of charges regarding the Subutex tablets, but the Court of Appeal left the additions unexamined. The prosecutor appealed the decision, and the Supreme Court returned the case to the Court of Appeal for reconsideration on three charges.
An eight-kilogramme amphetamine charge was initially rejected by the District Court but was accepted by the Court of Appeal in 2023. Both men have denied the offences and demanded that the charges be dismissed. Loijas sought leave to appeal the Court of Appeal's 2023 ruling from the Supreme Court but was not granted it.
SkyECC phones and suspected criminal group
According to the prosecutor, the offences were related to a broader matter in which a criminal group is suspected of bringing approximately one hundred kilograms of amphetamine from Sweden into Finland. Both men were found to have SkyECC phones during the preliminary investigation, which they had used for drug trade communications. However, the courts were unable to prove connections to organised crime.
Leave to appeal the Court of Appeal's ruling may be sought from the Supreme Court.
Source: Yle Uutiset