Trafficking in human beings focused on traffic at internal borders in 2025
In 2025, 10 people illegally entered Finland through the eastern border, while the corresponding number in air traffic was 30. In addition to these, the Finnish Border Guard assesses that at least 560 people illegally entered Finland from other EU countries. That is to say, by ferry from Sweden and Estonia, by car from Sweden, as well as by plane on European internal flights.
Regarding the traffic at internal borders, the estimated numbers are based on interviews with those who have sought asylum in Finland. The assessment only acknowledges the reports from those individuals who have contacted the authorities themselves, for instance, to apply for asylum.
– Thus, the actual number is probably slightly higher. Regarding the internal borders, it is often unknown from where and when a person has arrived in Finland. In general, we know very little of these individuals who illegally enter Finland, unless they report themselves to the authorities, Commander Juho Vanhatalo from the Finnish Border Guard Headquarters says. Vanhatalo acts as Head of Criminal Investigation Unit at the Legal Division of Finnish Border Guard Headquarters.
Under the Finnish Criminal Code, migrant smuggling equals to trafficking in human beings. In Finland, the Finnish Border Guard investigates more than 90% of the observed people smuggling cases. In 2025, the Finnish Border Guard detected 71 suspected cases of facilitation of irregular migration. In a third of these cases, it was considered reasoned to suspect aggravated facilitation of irregular migration. The deed is considered as aggravated, if, for instance, it has been committed in the context of a criminal organisation.
According to Vanhatalo, in the majority of migrant smuggling cases revealed in Finland, the smuggled individuals have crossed the Schengen external border within the territory of another member state. After this, they have been smuggled into Finland, or via Finland, through the internal borders. Last year, this was the situation in approximately 70% of the cases.
– It is entirely a question of hidden crime. This means, in practice, that none of the cases are brought to the attention of authorities via a report of an offence. Instead, these cases are detected and revealed through authorities’ own surveillance and information acquisition.
According to the observations made by the Finnish Border Guard, it is quite common that the smugglers have been paid up to ten thousand euro, and more, for the illegal trip to Finland.
– These are significant sums for people coming from poor conditions. Additionally, there is a risk that the smuggled individual has also remained in debt to their smuggler. This in turn increases the individual’s risk to end up as victim of crime, or that they become involved in criminal activities themselves, Vanhatalo explains the effects of migrant smuggling on the smuggled individual.
Some of the cases revealed in air traffic are detected from among the outgoing traffic. In five migrant smuggling cases in 2025, eight smuggled individuals were detected, in total. They were caught when trying to leave Helsinki Airport for the United Kingdom and Ireland. Passports of Japan and Hongkong, inter alia, were used for travelling. At the border, these documents were found to be forgeries. Currently, the Finnish Border Guard investigates one of the cases as aggravated facilitation of irregular migration and as aggravated trafficking in human beings.
The victims of trafficking in human beings, detected at the check on exit at the airport, had also arrived in Finland through internal borders. According to Vanhatalo, authorities have defective situational awareness of the Schengen internal traffic and, in addition, authorities have limited possibilities to intervene in the Schengen internal cross-border traffic of criminals.
Globally, migrant smuggling, and the exploitation of the smuggled people, involve severe international organised crime. Migrant smuggling cases revealed in Finland are typically committed by foreign criminal groups, and extend only partially to Finland. For instance, when the aim is to smuggle people via Finland to other parts of Europe.
Vanhatalo states that, based on investigations carried out in Finland, and joint operations of European authorities, we know that people from countries in Southeast Asia and Africa are being smuggled into Europe. Some smuggled individuals end up as victims of pandering, forced labour or other humanly degrading conditions.
Some of the smuggled individuals are paying customers. These cases do not involve other exploitation, apart from the high price of the trip. The more money a person smuggled into Finland has, the better their position is.
– On the opposite, the most vulnerable individuals, smuggled into Finland and Europe, end up in conditions where no one should. Therefore, it is essential to detect these most vulnerable individuals, Vanhatalo summarises the issue of migrant smuggling.
The Finnish Border Guard maintains Finland’s border security. It means the measures taken nationally and abroad for the purpose of preventing a breach of the provisions on crossing the national or external border and the threats arising from cross-border passenger traffic to public order and security, combatting cross-border crime, and ensuring the security of cross-border traffic.
Moreover, the Finnish Border Guard also carries out police and customs duties, search, rescue and first aid tasks, leads maritime search and rescue missions, is in charge of maritime pollution response in oil and chemical spills from vessels in Finnish territorial waters and economic zone, as well as coordinates preparedness for them, and participates in military defence.
