Skopje, 13 December 2024 (MIA) – Officers from the Department for Criminal Police and local police seized nearly four tons of marijuana from a legal entity in a village near Valandovo, southeastern North Macedonia.

A Health Ministry commission conducted an inspection in the company licenced to grow and trade with marijuana for medical purposes in late October and early November after being requested by the Interior Ministry. During the inspection, numerous irregularities were detected involving the production of medical marijuana after which a Gevgelija public prosecutor was notified, who ordered that the company’s premises should be searched. 

During the search, police officers discovered that the content in 500 bags with close to 1,390 kilograms, labelled that it contains THC dried flower, doesn’t correspond with the labelled declaration. After the content was analysed by forensic experts at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Skopje University, it was determined that the content in the bags was counterfeit - instead of dried marijuana flower, they contained branches, leaves, biomass and only a fraction of dried small flowers, which is a crime according to the Narcotic Drugs Law, the Interior Ministry said Friday. 

Sixteen people, including owners of the company, a former manager, security staff as well as workers hired to trim the marijuana, were called in for questioning by the local police. 

“It was determined that nearly 1,390 kilograms of marijuana was counterfeited and that a biomass with THC, weighting 1,629 kilograms, wasn’t destroyed by the company after being ordered to do so. Also, about 11 kilograms of Glueberry marijuana was missing without any proof submitted of where it might be located,” said the press release. 

After evidence was gathered, charges were filed against the company and five people, including the company manager from Bulgaria, aged 21, and a former manager, 35, from Novo Selo.

Also, nearly 1,390 kilograms of counterfeit marijuana and about 1,630 kilograms of THC biomass and some 815 kilograms of THC marijuana were confiscated. 

Photo: Interior Ministry