Young people in Latvia are increasingly ordering drugs embedded in sweets from other EU countries

RIGA - In Latvia and other European Union (EU) countries, there is a growing trend among young people to order tea and sweets, such as cookies and jelly beans, online for delivery to parcel lockers, with drugs and psychotropic substances embedded in them, Andrejs Grisins, head of the Tax and Customs Police (NMP), told members of the press on Thursday.

Intoxicating substances delivered from other EU member states have also been found in electronic cigarettes and other smoking devices.

Grisins pointed out that the youngest known customer is 13 years old. The typical profile of these young people is that of schoolchildren and students, often from stable families. In most cases, the customers are young men with an average age of 18 to 24. Only a few customers have previously come to the attention of law enforcement.

Underage drug customers also use the identities of relatives to place orders. Law enforcement officers have observed that most consumers are from the Riga region, but drugs are also ordered in other cities, such as Liepaja, Ventspils, Valmiera, and Daugavpils.

Grisins pointed out that the underground drug industry is constantly working to circumvent the "state's energy" in the fight against drugs. "Basically, new substances appear every day," added Grisins.

He did not deny that law enforcement agencies cannot shut down all drug distribution channels in a single day. Moreover, if one channel is closed, another automatically emerges. Although Latvia's legal framework is quite dynamic, substances that are banned in Latvia are not banned in other EU member states, and criminals are taking advantage of this situation, Grisins acknowledged.

The NMP points out that, unlike in several other EU countries, in Latvia, the movement of narcotic substances across the state border in any quantity is a serious criminal offense, even in cases where these substances or products containing them have been purchased from online stores or retail outlets in countries where they are permitted.

The maximum possible penalty for such offenses is imprisonment for up to five or even ten years if committed on a large scale or by a group of persons.

Despite the fact that such "products" are often shipped using anonymous delivery channels, such as postal and courier services, law enforcement agencies in Latvia and other EU countries are aware of these methods, cooperate with each other and with delivery operators, and are able to identify offenders, according to the NMP. Investigations usually succeed in identifying the guilty parties.

Since 2025, 599 suspicious shipments of narcotic substances from online stores have been detected and seized. To date, 369 criminal proceedings have been initiated in relation to these shipments. The remaining case materials are still being evaluated, but the experience of experts to date suggests that, in most cases, criminal proceedings will also have to be initiated in relation to these shipments.

The NMP emphasizes that it actively cooperates with other law enforcement agencies in Latvia and the EU and will continue to do so in order to limit the availability of such "products" on the Internet and to close down delivery options and channels to Latvia.