Reindeer thefts in northern Lapland: hundreds of reindeer stolen, 18 people charged
In a large-scale reindeer theft operation in northern Lapland, prosecutors have brought charges against 18 people. The case is reminiscent of an incident from the 1990s in Enontekiö, where a reindeer herder lost nearly his entire thousand-strong herd.
Thousand-strong reindeer herd disappears – perpetrator never caught
Yle News reported on the case of Hannu Magga, a reindeer herder from Enontekiö, who lost nearly his entire reindeer herd in the early 1990s. Initially 200 females disappeared, then even more the following year. The disappearances continued year after year, until from the thousand-strong herd only 17 reindeer remained.
Neighbours did not suffer equivalent losses. No one reported seeing what happened to Magga's reindeer – yet many seemed to know something. No one was ever caught. The debts resulting from the loss went into distraint, and Magga finished paying them off only this autumn.
Charges against 18 people in northern Lapland
Magga's case is not unique in Lapland. This year, several crimes related to reindeer herding have been dealt with in district courts. The most extensive case, located in northern Lapland, has also been investigated by the Central Criminal Police (KRP). In late October, prosecutors announced that they had brought charges against 18 people for several serious crimes.
According to prosecutors, this concerns large-scale and premeditated reindeer thefts that continued over many years and only came to light through police's own investigation. Among those charged are individuals holding leading positions in the local community: three herding district reindeer administrators, a deputy chair of the Sámi Parliament, and a long-time trusted representative of the Skolt Sámi.
In the same criminal operation, compensation for large predator and reindeer damage has allegedly been sought through false information. Last year, the Finnish state paid approximately 10 million euros in compensation for reindeer killed by large predators. When stolen reindeer are processed into meat and sold on, and compensation is sought without justification, we are talking about economic crime involving hundreds of thousands – even millions – of euros.
Reindeer are easy to take, hard to prove stolen
Police recognise the problem: reindeer theft is simultaneously a simple and complicated crime. A reindeer is easy to take, but hard to prove stolen.
Tapio Nykänen, assistant professor at the Giellagas Institute of the University of Oulu, explains that Sámi reindeer herding has historically had its own internal norms. In former times, another's reindeer could be taken for food if necessity dictated, with the community's tacit approval – such a reindeer was called a niestaporo, and according to Nykänen, it was part of Sámi customary law.
However, he does not draw a direct equality mark between the old tradition and current criminal suspicions.
"Certainly, stealing a reindeer today is culturally closer to stealing any other commodity. This is no longer a matter of the old niestaporot," Nykänen says.
KRP disbanded reindeer police – and returned to the matter decades later
In the 1970s, two reindeer police posts were established in Lapland under the KRP due to reindeer disputes. These positions were abolished in the late 1990s due to budget savings and a shift in the organisation's priorities – the KRP wanted to focus on large-scale criminal operations rather than minor reindeer crimes. Now the stance has changed, as it has emerged that this may indeed be a matter of large-scale criminal operations.
A similar case is also pending in the Muddusjärvi herding district, where senior officials have been charged in court with breach of official duty, discrimination, and reindeer herding offences. According to Lapin Kansa, the court proceedings have revealed that the plaintiff lost their entire reindeer herd – approximately 80 reindeer – in a short time without any recorded sales or verified losses. The situation directly mirrors Magga's case.
Reindeer are also power
A reindeer is not just an economic asset. Voting rights at a herding district meeting are determined according to the number of reindeer owned by a member. Nykänen recognises this dynamic.
"If relations deteriorate, power struggles can be fought through this channel," he states.
Nykänen also cautions against stigmatisation: the Sámi community continues to face negative attitudes in Finland, and such cases can serve as a stigma-brand against an entire population group. At the same time, he sees an opportunity: difficult legal proceedings can initiate open discussion about Sámi customary law and its relationship to Finnish legislation.
According to Nykänen, reindeer herding ultimately rests on trust, because external oversight is practically impossible. If trust in leadership fails, the consequences can last for generations.
"There has been talk of families having a kind of memory," Nykänen says.
Source: Yle Uutiset