Four were charged at Umeå District Court a few weeks ago for attempted serious drug offenses. Immediately after the trial, the main suspect was released because the police had exchanged the drugs for sugar.
It is the result of a recent ruling by the Supreme Court. Police replacing live weapons and drugs with copies has long been a common way of working to minimize the risk of the weapons being used or drugs ending up on the street. "Today we are forced to leave live weapons in place," says police investigation chief Thomas Palmgren.