Finnish police participated in cross-border monitoring of airports and ports, aimed at cracking down on human trafficking and property crimes, as well as street surveillance.

Detective Chief Inspector Jouko Ikonen of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) says that police here opened a new investigation into arranged illicit immigration and fined five people on immigration violations. Ten people were turned away at Finland’s borders.

“Several possible victims of human trafficking were found, and investigation of their cases is still ongoing,” Ikonen told Yle. He describes the results of the sweep as ‘normal’.

Seven people were also detained in connection with burglaries at homes and offices.

The NBI was Finland’s operational liaison with Europol. Field work was carried out by local police, the Border Guard and Customs officials.

Dark schemes on the dark net

Thirty-four countries took part in the Archimedes operation, including all 28 EU states as well as Australia, Colombia and the United States. Altogether officers arrested more than 1,000 people, seized some 600 kg of cocaine, 200 kg of heroin and 1.3 tonnes of cannabis. They also reportedly saved 30 children from trafficking.

Rob Wainwright, the head of Europol, told a news conference at the organisation's headquarters.

He said the operation was made necessary by the increasing sophistication and interconnectedness of Europe's crime groups, many of whom are using the hard-to-monitor "dark net" – or encrypted internet – to communicate with each other.

"Months in the planning, it was a carefully coordinated series of attacks on key nodal points and crime sectors that underpin the underground crime economy in Europe," said Wainwright. "What we have seen emerging is an integrated underground criminal economy."