27 tons of marijuana seized in North Macedonia exposes a regional drug network linked to Serbia similar case of “Jovanjica”

OHIS in Skopje, Konjuh and “Jovanjica” in Serbia, reveal a persistent architecture of organized crime in the Western Balkans

The seizure of nearly 27 tons of marijuana in North Macedonia has exposed what investigators increasingly describe as a regional drug trafficking network stretching into Serbia, reviving uncomfortable parallels with the “Jovanjica” case, once labeled Europe’s largest marijuana plantation.

North Macedonian police carried out a day-long operation, uncovering ten tons of marijuana at the former OHIS industrial complex in Skopje, officially registered as the headquarters of the company Alpha Pharm. Additional quantities were seized in the Strumica region, bringing the total haul close to 27 tons, the largest drug seizure in the country’s history.

Eyewitnesses reported an extraordinary police presence at the OHIS site, with dozens of police vans, five trucks, and customs vehicles entering the former chemical factory complex. Authorities have so far refrained from releasing full details, citing an ongoing investigation, but investigators suspect the site functioned as a major storage and redistribution hub rather than a production facility.

The North Macedonian operation is directly linked to a recent five-ton marijuana seizure in the Serbian village of Konjuh, near Kruševac. The drugs were found on the estate of Rade Spasojević, a local businessman and official of Serbia’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Serbian prosecutors have named five suspects in the case, two of whom remain at large, charging them with the unauthorized production and trafficking of narcotics.

According to investigators, the Serbian seizure likely represents only a fragment of a much larger shipment originating in North Macedonia. Suspicious changes in Alpha Pharm’s ownership structure days before the Konjuh bust have further strengthened suspicions that corporate fronts were used to mask the movement and storage of industrial-scale quantities of drugs once part of the network was compromised.

The case has reignited comparisons with the “Jovanjica” affair, uncovered in 2019, when Serbian police dismantled a vast marijuana plantation operating under the guise of an organic agricultural estate near Stara Pazova. “Jovanjica” became synonymous with state-captured criminality after evidence emerged that the operation enjoyed protection from members of Serbia’s security services. At its peak, the plantation contained tens of thousands of cannabis plants and sophisticated infrastructure more typical of a military-secured facility than a private farm.

Despite its scale and political implications, the “Jovanjica” case stalled at the operational level. While the owner, Predrag Koluvija, was arrested and charged, investigations into alleged links with senior officials and security structures were gradually narrowed or dropped, reinforcing public perceptions of selective accountability.

The Konjuh and North Macedonia seizures suggest that “Jovanjica” was not an anomaly, but part of a broader model: large-scale drug operations embedded within legal business structures, shielded by political connections, and serviced by logistics networks capable of moving tons of narcotics across borders. The reuse of industrial facilities, agricultural estates, and politically connected private property points to a pattern rather than coincidence.

Geographically, the trafficking routes connecting eastern North Macedonia with central Serbia have long been used for smuggling fuel, cigarettes, and weapons. Investigators now believe these corridors have evolved into high-capacity channels for cannabis trafficking, exploiting weak cross-border oversight and jurisdictional gaps.

Taken together, the three cases, OHIS in Skopje, Konjuh and “Jovanjica” in Serbia, reveal a persistent architecture of organized crime in the Western Balkans. This architecture relies not only on criminal groups, but also on business fronts, compromised institutions, and political protection.

The 27-ton seizure may mark a historic law enforcement success for North Macedonia, but whether it leads to accountability beyond couriers and warehouse operators will determine whether the region has truly moved past the era symbolized by “Jovanjica”, or whether it is merely witnessing its latest iteration. /The Balkan Report/