Finland’s Biggest Ex-Vendor Sentenced to Prison

Throughout 2016, Finnish Customs investigated a major drug distributor. They intercepted packages of outgoing mail and cars of incoming drugs. By the end of the year, Customs narrowed the suspect list down to three names. Officers arrested the correct suspect; the darknet marketplace vendor was the largest in the region at the time—his name was Douppikauppa.

Douppikauppa, in July 2017, faced a judge at the Southwest Finland District Court for sentencing. For the numerous felony drug crimes and smuggling charges, the judge handed down a sentence of eight and a half years in prison. In addition, the vendor now owes the state EUR 670,000.

In an interview for a book, he once told media celebrity Arman Alizad, “I don’t think that I will get caught.” He added, “Then again, neither do many other criminals.” However, he explained, “I am prepared for a visit by the police and even going to jail if it comes to that.” And it came to that.

Despite his statements such as “the police are completely powerless against online business,” many saw the darknet vendor as a hero or idol. One DeepDotWeb reader wrote, “I just read an interview with a drug dealer and ended up envisioning the world a better place.” And, “[the interview] was truly inspiring!”

Douppikauppa built a drug empire in Finland. He bought in bulk from outside Finland, often through physical transactions, then resold through Valhalla. He sold various substances, but carried a reputation for LSD and ecstasy. He sold, in addition to LSD and E: MDMA, MDPV, methamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, α-PHP, and heroin.

In his interview with Alizad, he spoke of his brush and “closest call” regarding arrests. Incidentally, he pointed out a seizure by Finnish Customs:

“The closest call has been for one of our contacts in the Netherlands. And a couple of groups have been caught over the darknet because of dealing on the streets.”

“Last April, a Finnish Customs unit intercepted a vehicle that was smuggling drugs between the Netherlands and Finland. The car contained approximately one million doses of heroin, cocaine, LSD-tabs, amphetamine and methamphetamine.”

When Finnish Police raided Douppikauppa, they caught him with massive quantities of drugs. He had 7,000 ecstasy tablets, 1,700 grams of powder MDMA, and 500 grams of the standard cannabinoids—all in his apartment. Customs estimated that between 2014 and 2016, the drug operation moved 40,000 ecstasy tabs and 30,000 LSD blotters. Douppikauppa built an undeniably large distribution network.

A network and legacy worth nearly nine years in prison and close to $1M in payments to the government.