A North Macedonian national has been placed under investigation and remanded in custody on suspicion of involvement in transporting more than 324 kilograms of marijuana seized in Thessaloniki, Greece. The news was announced today by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of North Macedonia.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, at the end of February this year, the suspect obtained a transport vehicle, followed by a trailer in early March. He then arranged the purported transport of compressed recycled paper from the Republic of North Macedonia to the Republic of Turkey via the Republic of Bulgaria.

After completing customs procedures, on March 8, 2026, the suspect left North Macedonian territory with the vehicle and trailer, heading toward the Republic of Bulgaria. However, instead of continuing his journey to Turkey, he traveled to Greece and left the vehicle and trailer in a rented enclosed facility in Thessaloniki.

During his stay there, he met with two suspects who are facing proceedings in the Republic of Greece. One of them remains beyond the reach of law enforcement authorities. According to the statement, during this meeting the suspect learned of the plan to transport the narcotics further by concealing them in the load of recycled paper.

After the drugs were obtained, two of the suspects, together with other individuals who have yet to be identified, placed the marijuana in spaces previously prepared inside the bales of recycled paper. This took place between August 11 and 14, 2026.

On August 14, 2026, as part of Operation “Vardaris,” Greek police arrested two of the suspects and searched the rented facility. Inside, they found the trailer, from which the license plates had previously been removed. The drugs were discovered in four pallets placed at the rear of the trailer and another four pallets positioned in front of them.

A Kosovar national was also arrested as part of the same operation.

The operation followed a months-long investigation and was made possible through cooperation among the authorities of North Macedonia, Greece and Kosovo.

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Ermal Sadiku, the newly elected MP of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), left the University Clinical Center today without undergoing testing for narcotic substances.

The young politician, who accepted the open invitation of Alliance candidate Burim Ramadani, reported that the test at the Toxicology Laboratory could not be conducted on Friday because the equipment was not functional.

In a statement to KosovaPress, Sadiku confirmed that he will appear again on Monday to complete the toxicology check, reiterating that he is not withdrawing from this commitment.

Sadiku: The equipment had defects, I will return next week

“This is my second visit. The aim is to do this voluntarily, to prove to the people that we, their representatives who have taken on the leadership of the country, must take care of our health and especially stay away from narcotics and alcohol abuse. Therefore, I wanted to get tested, but today it was not carried out,” Sadiku told KosovaPress.

However, the legislator said he was surprised by the justification he received from the laboratory personnel.

The “strange” reason behind the postponement of the test

“They told me they have some technical problems with the equipment. I will return on Monday or Tuesday, depending on when they are repaired. I got the referral, now I need to go and actually take the test. They explained to me here that the equipment was moved from one environment to another and needs time to rest or something like that. The reason seems a bit odd to me, but it doesn’t matter much. I don’t want to sound cynical, I believe that was the situation, and I will appear next week to complete the testing,” he added.

In a preliminary step, Sadiku was provided with a referral at the Psychiatry Clinic, just like Time Kadrijaj two days earlier, and this without following any standard procedure. The situation was completely different for MP Bekë Berisha, who was told on Monday that he had to undergo testing precisely at this clinic.

Nevertheless, Faton Kutllovci, the director of this institution, who is currently on vacation abroad, explained to KosovaPress that the hospital provides testing services exclusively for patients admitted to the addiction ward who are interested in discontinuing the use of illegal substances. Samples from these cases are sent by clinical staff to the Toxicology Laboratory for analysis.

“In our addiction diseases ward, such tests are performed only on hospitalized individuals who express a desire to quit substances. We send their samples to the Toxicology Laboratory,” Kutllovci stated.

According to him, specialists may issue a referral for testing to citizens who are not hospitalized, if they deem it a necessary step.

However, being away from Kosovo, Kutllovci was not aware of the specific procedures being followed for the MPs and how they are obtaining those referrals. KosovaPress has not been able to obtain an official explanation from UCCK regarding this matter.

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