The former head of Helsinki Police drugs squad is back in jail today, as the Court of Appeal upheld a ten year sentence for drugs trafficking and official misconduct.
Jari Aarnio is also serving a further three years for a conviction for buying surveillance equipment for official police business from a company that he was involved with.
The court decided that Aarnio was the mysterious “Pasila Man” who arranged to import drugs to Finland hidden in barrels. That code name was given to someone who used a burner phone to make the drug deal, and the court saw fresh evidence to support the claim that Aarnio was the “Pasila Man”.
Although Aarnio had claimed innocence throughout the legal process, which goes back to 2013, the court upheld the District Court’s ruling that he was involved in aggravated drugs offenses and evidence tampering. The court also found that the former policeman’s large income couldn’t have been earned legally, and was likely linked to the profits from smuggling drugs.
In addition to a prison sentence, Aarnio has to pay €1.3 million in fines, and forfeits his house in Porvoo where police found tens of thousands of euros buried in the garden.
