Several new narcotic substances discovered in Estonia during customs checks
The constant emergence of new psychoactive substances has become a significant change, the Tax and Customs Board said.
According to Vitali Zajarin, head of the Tax and Customs Board's (MTA) narcotics unit, the agency detected 381 violations involving narcotic and psychotropic substances last year and 222 in the first half of this year.
"This is not unique to Estonia — the development of e-commerce and rapid growth in international small-parcel shipments have made postal and courier services an important delivery channel throughout Europe, and this option is also used to send illegal goods," Zajarin said.
According to the customs agent, these figures alone do not show whether drug orders have increased or decreased at the same pace. "In addition to actual prevalence, the number of violations detected also depends on where inspections are targeted and how extensive they are," he added.
"However, we continue to see postal and courier shipments widely used to send narcotics to Estonia, and the growth in overall shipment volumes makes monitoring this channel increasingly important. At the European level, we can also see that drug sales and orders have increasingly shifted online," Zajarin said.
According to Zajarin, in addition to the dark web, the regular web, social media and messaging apps are used for this purpose. He said postal and courier shipments are likely to remain a significant risk channel for the cross-border movement of narcotic and psychotropic substances in the near future.
Most parcels from the Netherlands and Czechia
Based on MTA seizure data from this year and last year, narcotic and psychotropic substances have most frequently been found in packages sent from the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Poland and Spain.
"The Czech Republic and the Netherlands stand out in particular, with shipments sent from the two countries accounting for approximately 54 percent of the cases detected during this period," Zajarin said.
However, he stressed that the data should be interpreted with caution. A shipment's country of origin indicates where a particular shipment was dispatched to Estonia but does not necessarily indicate the actual origin of the narcotic substance.
"In today's international logistics system, shipments may pass through several countries and distribution centers," he added.
"Inspections of postal and courier shipments are risk-based, and MTA targets inspections where available information and risk analysis indicate a greater likelihood of violations. Inspection methods and risk assessments are continually being developed in response to changes in shipment volumes, logistics and the drug market," Zajarin explained.
Mostly online sales
"MTA's experience shows that shipments containing narcotic and psychotropic substances are both ordered from online sellers and sent between private individuals. It is not always possible to determine from the shipment which channel was actually used to purchase the substance, but the role of online sales channels is clearly evident," he added.
Zajarin said MTA has detected e-cigarettes, gummy candies and other similar products ordered from foreign online stores that sellers advertise as legal products but that contain substances classified as narcotics in Estonia.
"When ordering products containing various cannabinoids from online stores or other online sales platforms, consumers should bear in mind that the legal status of substances may differ from country to country," Zajarin said.
"What is permitted in the Czech Republic, for example, may not be permitted in Estonia. Therefore, consumers should not rely solely on an online store's claim that a product is legal or permitted throughout the European Union," he added.
Before placing an order, consumers should check the legal status in Estonia of the substances the product contains.
"If an ordered product contains a narcotic or psychotropic substance prohibited in Estonia, ordering it may result in proceedings being initiated and, depending on the type and quantity of the substance and other circumstances, may also lead to criminal liability," Zajarin said.
Sending narcotic medicines my mail prohibited
He added that particular attention should be paid to medications, as medicines containing narcotic or psychotropic substances may not be sent by mail.
"Having a prescription issued in Estonia does not change this — a prescription gives a person the right to obtain a medicine in accordance with applicable requirements, but it does not give them the right to order a narcotic or psychotropic medicine from abroad for delivery to Estonia by mail."
According to Zajarin, the quantities of narcotic substances discovered in shipments vary widely, ranging from small amounts to cases involving quantities considered large under the law.
"For example, in 2025, MTA opened 190 criminal investigations into the illegal handling of large quantities of narcotics, with the substances reaching Estonia by postal or courier services in 159 cases," he added.
"We see both in practice — orders for personal use as well as cases where evidence gathered during an investigation indicates that substances were ordered with the intention of supplying or distributing them in Estonia," Zajarin said.
New narcotic substances reaching Estonia
According to Zajarin, MTA's detection data shows that a wide variety of narcotic and psychotropic substances are found in postal and courier shipments.
"In terms of quantities, cannabis and cannabis products, as well as GHB and its analogues, stand out in particular," Zajarin said.
"We also detect amphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), cocaine, MDMA, synthetic cannabinoids, cathinone derivatives, hallucinogens, benzodiazepines and other substances," he added.
According to Zajarin, the constant emergence of new psychoactive substances represents a significant change. New narcotic substances account for a substantial proportion of the substances identified in MTA's detection data.
"The same trend can be seen more broadly across Europe. According to the European Union Drugs Agency, 50 new psychoactive substances were detected for the first time in Europe in 2025, 27 of which were new cannabinoids. New cannabinoids are offered in products including e-cigarettes and edibles such as gummy candies," he added.
In August, 150 grams of mushroom truffles were found in a postal shipment from the Netherlands, raising suspicions that they may contain psychotropic substances.
At the airport, a total of two kilograms of nasvai, a tobacco product, was also found in the luggage of two Uzbek citizens arriving from Turkey. As nasvai is prohibited in Estonia, misdemeanor proceedings were initiated against them.
In April, 54.41 grams of plant material was discovered in a shipment from the Netherlands. Laboratory analysis identified the potent psychotropic substance dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, in the material.
In May, 7.3 grams of a substance was found in a shipment from Belgium and tested positive in a rapid test for methamphetamine-MDMA. On the same day, 58.69 grams of cannabis flower was discovered in a package from Spain. The goods were detained pending further investigation.
In June, gummy candies containing narcotic substances were found in a shipment from the Netherlands. A total of 93.07 grams of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, was identified in the candies.
In July, gelatin-like candies were discovered in a shipment from the Czech Republic. Laboratory analysis found that they contained 30.48 grams of cannabinoids.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
