The Harju county district court fined 20-year old student Dmitri Galushkevich a total of 17,500 kroons (1,118 euros) for his part in organizing cyber attacks on the Estonian state last spring. Galushkevich is the first person to be convicted for this type of crime, and is so far the only person who has been identified and brought to trial. Between April 25 and May 4 he engaged in a direct denial of service attack on the Reform Party's website, citing his action as a protest against Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. A spokesman for the northeast regional prosecutor's office told AFP that the court had taken into account his admission of guilt and lack of a criminal record.
Funny money has been working its way through Estonia in the form of counterfeit 500-kroon (32 euro) banknotes. The forged currency first appeared in Kuressaare on Jan. 13, where four reports of its use were made. Days later customers tried passing off fake notes at a Parnu kiosk and the Lihula Uhispank. A young man has been named as a suspect in the Kuressaare cases and criminal action has been taken. He is thought to have forged notes using a personal scanner and printer. Police have not yet determined if the cases on the mainland are connected.
Police chiefs of Estonia and Finland announced on Jan. 28 plans to cooperate closer to establish joint task forces targeted against drug and human trafficking spanning the gulf. The increased interaction will include the exchange of DNA databases, allowing profiles to be identified in transnational crimes. The Estonian DNA register currently contains over 15,000 samples and a further 5,000 not connected to any specific person as yet. Finnish police estimate that most drugs come into the country through Estonia, including 90 percent of amphetamines.
The wife of Dmitri Linter, who is currently on trial for his part in organizing the April riots in Tallinn in 2007, was denied an Estonian residency permit by the Citizenship and Migration Board. Ms. Linter, a Russian citizen, was not able to demonstrate a sufficient legal income as required by the Law on Aliens. A previous record violating the visa regime was also made in 2006 when she returned late to Russia. Mr. Linter, an Estonian citizen, claims that he is unable to provide income due to the ongoing court action.
