On Monday, in the Helsinki District Court, the defense of Nico Ranta-aho, who was arrested in 2019 in Helsinki, denied that Ranta-aho acted as co-leader of a major drug and doping league.
According to the defense, Ranta-aho’s financial position was so good that he had no reason to be involved in drug and doping crimes.
“Usually money is the motive for such activities. Ranta-aho has had no motive to start such an activity, ”his lawyer Hannu Kaitaluoma said in court.
The defense denies that Ranta-aho had any involvement in the league.
At the time of the suspected crimes, he handled, among other things, the real estate business of a family business off the Spanish coast. It was a full-time job, Kaitaluoma said.
On Monday, the district court heard presentations of the defendant’s defense of the suspect’s drug and doping coat. The defendants’ assistants told the court what they suspected were about the suspicions.
Prosecutors say businessman Niko Ranta-aho and former Cannonball MC member Janne “Nacci” Tranberg led the drug and doping league.
Tranberg has also denied having led the league.
According to Ranta-aho’s defense, the Narcotics and Doping League seems to have continued to operate, regardless of Ranta-aho’s imprisonment. This, according to the defense, shows that he did not have a role in the league.
Also, no evidence has been found of the use of Ranta-aho’s phones and other devices as the leader of the drug league, lawyer Kaitaluoma said.
“Ranta-aho’s phones and terminals have been under investigation by the police. There are no such signs. ‘
The defense questioned in court the interrogation statements made by some other defendants, which are used as evidence against Ranta-aho.
Attorney Kaitaluoma also spoke about events during the Ruisrock festival in Turku. Police were eavesdropping on the apartment where Ranta-aho and other people were spending their time.
According to Kaitaluom, their conclusions cannot be inferred from what prosecutors have come to. They have been very open to interpretation.
At the time, Ranta-aho had been monitoring for a long time and was using cocaine.
“It has been a festive place, there has been substance abuse and somehow a liberated atmosphere. A lot of talk is overlapping, shouting and music playing in varying volumes. ”
FITNESS MODEL In her statement, Sofia Belórf’s defense denied that Belórf had known of her unmarried partner Niko Ranta-aho about suspected drug and doping offenses.
The defense also stressed that Belórf did not participate in the League. The defense pointed out that prosecutors and the media had wrongly linked Belórf to the League.
“He has become a symbol of this thing,” Belórf’s lawyer Paul Perovuo said in court.
BELÓRF’s defense denied her charges of money laundering and drug offenses.
According to the defense, Ranta-aho has not told Belórf about the alleged crimes. Belórf only knew about Ranta-aho’s own drug use and his fondness for alleged criminals.
According to the defense, Belórf opposes drugs and favors a healthy lifestyle. She cannot tolerate drug use by Ranta-aho.
“Sofia can’t stand Niko using drugs. As Sofia and Niko began dating, she consciously came from Niko’s previous drug addiction, which led to detoxification. ”
According to the defense, the relationship between Belórf and Ranta-aho crumbled during the Ruisrock festival in Turku due to Ranta-aho’s drug use, and Belórf therefore left home alone. Belórf handed one drug bag to a person in Turku to prevent Ranta-aho from using the substances.
The defense also mentioned, among other things, the Rolex watch Belórf received from the Ranta-aho. Prosecutors said Belórf was then laundering money because the watch, worth more than € 12,000, was acquired with proceeds of crime.
According to the defense, Belórf received the clock from Ranta-aho as a Christmas present at the Ranta-aho family’s Christmas party in the presence of the rest of the family in Levi. Her relationship with Ranta-aho had only lasted a couple of months at that time.
“Sofia could not in any way conclude that the watch was a crime,” Perovuo said.
The case was not heard by all defendants on Monday. For example, Janne Tranberg’s defense turn is at Wednesday.
There are a total of 54 defendants in the case.
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Source: Helsingin Sanomat