Three people ended up behind bars in a single day, and the Interior Ministry announced it in its usual tone - a list of initials, ages and seized items, like a receipt from a corner shop. But behind that dry chronology sits a question that rarely gets asked: how long were these homes under watch before the police finally showed a court warrant?

At Bit Pazar, two men from Skopje were arrested - S.B. (21) and E.A. (33). During a search of their homes, under a court order, the police found and seized 58 bags of a white powdery substance and a digital scale. Fifty-eight bags - that is not a quantity for personal use, that is inventory for street distribution.

The same day, in the village of Saraj, M.A. (40) from Radusha was also brought in. In his home, again under a court order, police found a 9 mm Glock pistol, one magazine and 13 rounds. A weapon ready to be used, not for a display case.

The Interior Ministry says that once the cases are fully documented, the appropriate charges will follow. In other words - the arrest is the easy part. The question is whether the cases will hold up to the end of the proceedings, or melt away somewhere between the investigation and the courtroom, as so often happens with small-time dealers while the network above them stays untouched.

Three people, three addresses, one digital scale. It is a familiar picture. Will anyone ask where the goods come from and where they go - or will we be reading another list of initials next week?