Skopje, 17 August 2026 (MIA) - The Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and Corruption said Monday it has issued an order for investigation against seven more people suspected of committing the crime of illicit distribution of nacrotics, as part of an ongoing investigation into organized transport of marijuana from the country to Serbia. The Prosecutor's Office added that the Skopje-based Criminal Court has accepted two plea deals with two suspects who admitted guilt, leading to court verdicts of three years and six months, i.e. three years and eight months imprisonment.

"The ongoing investigation handled by the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and Corruption since February 2026 targeting organized transport of narcotic drug marijuana from the Republic of North Macedonia to the Republic of Serbia, points to a wider circle of persons linked to the organized criminal activity. The evidence found during the investigation and the international cooperation with the competent authorities of the Republic of Serbia, resulted in another order for investigation against seven more people. The seven people are suspected of having committed the same criminal offense as members of an organized criminal group - "unauthorized production and release into circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors" under Article 215, paragraph 3 in connection with paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code," the Prosecutor's Office said in a press release. 

According to the Prosecutor's Office, the previous six suspects and the seven new suspects, along with other unidentified persons, joined for the purpose of illicit distribution of narcotics between an undefined period in 2025 and the end of January 2026. Each of the group members had a clearly defined role in the takeover, storage and transfer of the marijuana, with the objective of its illicit sale. Two suspects, upon a prior agreement with another suspect in this case, who is an owner of a legal entity based in Skopje, as well as other unidentified persons, organized the procurement of the marijuana and its transport from North Macedonia to Serbia on several occasions. For this purpose, they used cargo vehicles and customs declarations indicating that they were transporting textiles, food and other goods. After the narcotics were transported across the border, they organized storage in the Konjuh area near Krushevac, where the marijuana was repackaged and distributed for further sale, reads the press release.

Photo: MIA archive