Investigation into marijuana trafficking to Serbia expanded, seven more people under suspicion

The investigation into the smuggling of marijuana from North Macedonia to Serbia has been expanded by the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organized Crime and Corruption to include seven new suspects.

The Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation, launched in February this year, had uncovered a wider network linked to the criminal activity. The evidence was collected through investigative actions and cooperation with the Serbian authorities.

The seven individuals are suspected of the unauthorized production and distribution of narcotic substances. According to the investigation, during the period 2025-2026, they operated as part of an organized criminal group.

To conceal its illegal activity, the group allegedly used a company headquartered in Skopje that held a license to cultivate cannabis for medical use.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the company’s owners organized shipments of marijuana from North Macedonia to Serbia. Cargo vehicles and customs documents were used for transport, with the shipments listed as ordinary goods.

The narcotics were concealed among food products, textiles, pillows and quilts, while the vehicles were directed to the Tabanoc border crossing.

After crossing into Serbian territory, the marijuana was sent to a warehouse in the Konjuh area, near Kruševac. There, it was repackaged and prepared for further sale.

The evidence collected so far indicates that this method was used in at least five separate instances of drug transportation.

On July 21, 2026, Serbia’s Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against six members of the group. Meanwhile, in North Macedonia, two of the suspects have pleaded guilty.

The Basic Criminal Court in Skopje sentenced the two defendants, one to three years and six months in prison and the other to three years and eight months in prison.