Some updates.
The dude who ratted out Lehterä, also being the only evidence against Lehterä, changed his statements today. Said police used questionable tactics to get out the statement and he was just saying what the police wanted.
Interested to see how this evolves.
Being a suspect himself the dude has the privilege against self-incriminating, meaning that he doesn't have to witness against himself (and his own suspected sell of drugs). The other suspects' attorneys can now (try) challenge his previous statements on the grounds that they don't get to cross-examine the witness in the court.
The thing is, no amount of drug has been found in the possession of Lehtera. The case against him hinges on the interrogations of this guy and the wiretappings where Lehtera is merely asking the main culprit or this nr 2 guy to "come visit him".
The press, often in cahoots with the police lest they stop getting the juicy intel, has made a point of underlining the police statements that it's usual in the underworld to ask the dealer to "visit you" instead of blatantly agreeing the drug sale on phone.
Speculations are rife. Some suspect that Lehtera's no-show due to "tight NHL schedule" is mainly about him trying to stall the case so the conviction can't be used as a grounds for his termination ("innocent until proven guilty"), but others are noting that "cooperation with the police to clarify the case" has previously helped people get lighter sentence (but you gotta have something to give them... or, maybe, someone).
On a side note, the chieftain of Tampere police drug squad apparently is best friends with one Tampere resident drug lord, and we have been following a couple of years now the downfall of the chieftain of the Helsinki police drug squad and his connections to the hefty drug trade, so you kind of can expect anything.