Police assert that Estonian dealers may have direct contacts with Colombian and Venezuelan sources of cocaine. In 1997, Sweden investigated cases where seized drug shipments from Latin America transited Estonia. According to police, opium is trafficked from Russia and Lithuania, marijuana from Russia, hashish from Morocco via Spain and Russia, while amphetamine and Ecstasy tablets transit The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. There are also cases where Estonians have organized illegal drugs shipments which never enter Estonia, but are shipped directly from Germany to Finland. Domestic demand for drugs also appears to be growing.
Police believe that organized crime groups in Estonia are involved in the drug business.
These groups have become more involved in the drug trade after law enforcement clamped down on illegal metal and wood trade. While climatic factors preclude Estonia from becoming an important source for narcotic crops, small amounts of opium poppies and cannabis have reportedly been cultivated in Estonia. Estonia's Law on Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances went into effect on November 1, 1997. Besides regulating these substances, it also deals with drug abusers' treatment and rehabilitation. The law sets a legal basis for controlling and trafficking previously unmonitored precursor chemicals and trafficking.