Confiscated medications in police operation were destined for the domestic market and a neighboring country, according to Toshkovski

The medications that entered the country illegally were planned to be sold simultaneously in Macedonia and across the border, in a neighboring country, Panche Toshkovski, Minister of Interior, announced today. Preliminary operational data indicate this dual destination of the seized substances.

Responding to journalists’ questions, he clarified that the intervention came as a result of prior investigative work and evidentiary elements collected from confiscated mobile devices. Based on these additional data, steps were taken to dismantle the criminal network, always in cooperation with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The Ministry of Interior announced yesterday that during this targeted operation against an organization involved in goods trafficking and corrupt acts, criminal charges were filed against eight people and six of them were placed in handcuffs. Searches conducted at several addresses in Skopje, Tetovo, and Gevgelija led to the discovery and seizure of more than 100,000 euros in cash, 16 gold bars, cigarettes and tobacco without excise stamps, a considerable quantity of medications and supplements, as well as telephone devices and other items.

The group is suspected of having been active between 2024 and 2026, where the first reported person had the role of organizer of the illegal entry, storage, and trading of cigarettes and tobacco. To ensure passage without declaration and without paying customs duties, the perpetrators had corrupted a customs officer, a mechanism that was also used for the unauthorized entry of medications and supplements intended for sale.

The accused persons face several criminal offenses, including smuggling, concealment of smuggled goods, evasion of excise duty payment, giving and receiving bribes, placing harmful medical products on the market, and money laundering.