In rare case, ex-Finnish police drug boss gets 10 years

HELSINKI – A Finnish court has sentenced a former Helsinki narcotics police boss to 10 years in prison for running a drug ring while in office — a rare case of corruption among the country's civil servants.

Helsinki's District Court says Jari Aarnio was guilty of official misconduct and aggravated evidence tampering.

The court said Thursday that Aarnio, who pleaded innocent, played a key role in importing from the Netherlands nearly 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of hashish, which was distributed in 2011-2012.

An accomplice, a local top criminal, was also given 10 years.

After 30 years on the force, Aarnio was arrested in 2013. In September, he was convicted of fraud and corruption for an ownership interest in a company that sold surveillance equipment to Finnish police.