After a year, they determined that there was no cocaine: Expert examination confirms that the substance from the Bijelo Polje court depot is not a drug

A year after preparations for the destruction of drugs found that a substance from the High Court depot in Bijelo Polje did not react to a cocaine test, the prosecutor's office announced that additional expert testing confirmed that the substance was not a narcotic.

This follows from the latest response from the Higher State Prosecutor's Office (VDT) in Bijelo Polje, which told "Vijesti" that a decision in the case has not yet been made and that the proceedings are still in the investigation phase.

"A chemical expert examination was conducted during the proceedings, which determined that the substance in question, which was previously seized and expertly examined in the criminal proceedings, is not a narcotic drug. In order to protect the interests of the investigation in this case, we cannot provide further information," the response states.

The case came into the public spotlight last April, when the Commission for the Destruction of Legally Seized Drugs, during an inspection at the High Court in Bijelo Polje, determined that a substance from one of the cases did not show the expected reaction in preliminary tests for cocaine.

The court then announced that an interdepartmental commission had noticed irregularities, noting that the results were preliminary.

According to the information published at the time, this is a substance from the case against RM i EM, who were convicted in 2010 of drug-related crimes. The verdict determined that the substance involved was 1.000,40 grams of high-concentration cocaine, and the court ordered the permanent seizure and destruction of the substance.

The day after the publication of "Vijesti", the State Prosecutor's Office in Bijelo Polje opened a case and announced that an investigation was underway, stating that they had been provided with inspection reports and that actions were being taken to determine all the circumstances.

In the months that followed, the prosecutor's office repeatedly announced that evidence was being collected, and that High Court officials who had access to the depot were being questioned as citizens.

At the end of last year, the prosecutor's office stated that evidence had been collected and that the decision-making process was underway, but then it was announced that additional checks were needed, which is why the case remained in the investigation phase.

Since then, it has not been announced how the discrepancy between the records and the actual content occurred, nor what the matter was.

The prosecution did not answer questions about whether polygraph tests were used in the proceedings.

The drugs that are the subject of this case originate from the proceedings against RM and EM, who were found guilty in 2010 of criminal conspiracy and unauthorized production, possession and distribution of narcotic drugs.

The first-instance verdict sentenced them to eight years and eight months, respectively seven years and eight months in prison, with the permanent confiscation of approximately 1.000,40 grams of cocaine, concentration 79,5 percent. The verdict of the Court of Appeal later changed the sentences to six years and six months, respectively five years and six months in prison.