Dealing & Elias

The computer screen casts a blue hue onto Elias’s face as he sits in his dimly lit room. Playing online with his friends has again caused Elias to stay up too late. Elias knows that he should go to bed, but he ignores the voice of reason and keeps playing even though the sun’s first rays are already filtering through the curtains of Elias’s first own home.

At last the game is over. Elias checks his phone.

‘Fancy going climbing tomorrow?’ The message is from Jaakko.

‘Sure!’ Elias replies almost immediately and notices a smile creeping up on his face.

Jaakko is a nice guy and a useful climbing buddy to have, even though Elias knows little else about him. Computer off, phone on charge – and bed. Another late night.

Elias sleeps in late. He does not need to be at work until 8 pm, to open the bar. Plenty of time to go climbing with Jaakko before that. Elias expects to see other people he knows there too, which is an added bonus. Friends are everything to him. After finishing his arts management degree, Elias has seen less of his university friends and now spends most of his time with his colleagues from the bar.

The vibe at the climbing arena is the same as always. Not too many people, a few familiar faces and casual acquaintances. And Jaakko, of course, who is there to meet Elias. Jaakko is in a talkative mood. He is never usually particularly chatty but now keeps rabbiting on and ultimately gets to his point: an unexpected request for Elias to bring him snus from Haparanda, as Jaakko has heard that Elias is planning a trip north.

It is not the request itself that throws Elias – it is the quantity. Jaakko is asking for a significant volume for sale, and he is offering a decent amount of money as a reward.

Elias spends the whole evening thinking about the proposal and finally sends his reply:

‘OK, I’ll do it. You’ll have your snus next week.’

Elias starts his car and sets off towards Haparanda, with what he is about to do weighing heavily on his mind. He knows the rules about importing snus, but he has decided to ignore them. Jaakko seems solid, and Elias could do with the money. Elias has always enjoyed doing small favours for others. He knows that they usually lead to good things.

Listening to podcasts passes the time nicely on the long journey. Elias is now on his way back. He has too much snus in the car, but there were thankfully no problems at the border. Jaakko will be pleased. Elias is looking forward to his reward.

‘Easy money’, he thinks. Jaakko pays the reward into Elias’s account before he even gets home. Elias has an evening of video games with friends planned, and tomorrow is the start of the weekend, which means a night out. Jaakko is also coming. It will be a fun night. Elias fees like he has made a new best friend.

It is now Friday, and the night out is in full swing. Everyone is having a great time, someone is singing karaoke. Jaakko keeps bringing round after round of drinks to the table. He has also won over Elias’s other friends. Laughter. Drinks. The good times keep rolling.

Then, Jaakko asks Elias aside for a quiet word. He has another load of snus to collect. This time, there is also a parcel to pick up from a service station on the way back. Jaakko has ordered vapes from Germany and wants Elias’s help transporting them to Vaasa.

Elias agrees immediately and promises to make the trip on Monday, which is his day off. His previous trip to Haparanda went so well – why not do another one. And the reward is a nice bonus.

Over the following weeks, Elias grows closer and closer with Jaakko. Not just because Jaakko is a nice guy but also because he pays well and the jobs are easy. Elias likes driving, and he is happy to help out a friend at the same time. The nagging doubts that he sometimes has he pushes to the back of his mind. Being a good friend is more important.

After a while, however, Elias starts feeling increasingly uneasy. Nothing major at first, just passing thoughts every now and then. Maybe it is because his phone keeps pinging more and more often. Jaakko has stopped asking for favours – his messages now just lay down times, quantities and names. Appointments that Elias cannot miss. Assignments that he should not ask questions about.

Even Jaakko’s tone has changed: he still often sounds friendly, but there is a new edge to his voice – forceful and even intimidating. It feels like Jaakko is no longer just asking for a little help here and there but actually expects Elias to be at his beck and call at all hours. And expects him not to ask too many questions.

One night, Elias pulls up outside the building where he lives and stays in his car. He keeps the engine running. The door to the building seems further away somehow. He checks his rear-view mirror even though he knows that there is no one there. His heart is beating fast. Something feels different.

‘This isn’t just snus anymore’, Elias thinks to himself. And it is not just vapes either.

Jaakko’s next request comes in the middle of a perfectly ordinary day. The message is brief and to the point. It mentions a substance that Elias has not previously transported. Jaakko now expects Elias to transport not snus and vapes but drugs – and to not question it.

It is make-your-mind-up time. Elias reads the message several times, switches off his phone, turns it back on. Paces around the room. He feels sick.

‘I’m a bit unsure…’ he types and then deletes what he has written.
‘Probably best not to…’ he types and deletes again.

Eventually he replies:
‘OK. I’ll take care of it.’

And at that moment, something breaks, even though Elias does not know what it is yet.

Elias quickly settles into his new normal. He knows when the police are most likely to be patrolling his street. He learns how to conceal drugs in the car and what to say and what not to say. He no longer thinks that he is just doing favours. He knows that he is now in the business.

The uneasy feeling has become a permanent state of mind. It follows him when he goes climbing and stays with him when he is at work or out with his friends. Elias no longer enjoys himself like he used to, does not laugh as freely. He is constantly watching the door, the people around him and himself.

One night, when the latest shipment has been distributed and another reward has landed in his account, Elias sits alone at his kitchen table. He cannot sleep. The house is too quiet. He thinks about Jaakko and how everything started. How easy it seemed at the beginning and how heavy it feels now.

Elias picks up his phone and unlocks it. He types in a number that everyone knows but that few would ever like to call.

‘Police’, a voice answers.

Elias takes a deep breath. His voice is shaky, but the words come out clearly. He confesses everything and explains that he is afraid. He tells the officer about the snus, the vapes and the drugs.

When the call ends, he still has the uneasy feeling, but there is another feeling pushing through. Relief.

Elias has had enough. And he is too scared to keep going.

When the doorbell rings a little while later, Elias opens the door himself.

As the questioning progresses, it transpires that his former friend, Jaakko, was a mid-level player in a large drug ring. Elias learns all about how he was slowly lured into the operation and how, contrary to everyone’s expectations, he became a drug dealer. He is charged with conspiracy to drug trafficking and sentenced accordingly – to four years of imprisonment.

His future, which had previously been full of opportunities, now has a cloud of uncertainty hanging over it. The criminal record, the prison sentence and the shame are hard to bear. Elias never should have believed Jaakko or the promise of easy money.