VMRO-DPMNE, both while in opposition and in government, has linked this company to individuals from the previous political leadership of SDSM.
A Serbian drug trafficking network from Krusevac penetrated far deeper into North Macedonia’s legal cannabis sector than previously revealed by public data from investigations into the illegal transport of five tonnes of marijuana to Serbia, BIRN reports.
Beyond the companies already known to the public, the investigation identified additional licensed cannabis growers that had direct or indirect ties to the group.
Field information and conversations with individuals who had contact with the network indicate that this was not merely a local operation, but a structure relying on figures with business interests extending beyond the Balkans.
The latest case once again highlights weak oversight in North Macedonia and systemic shortcomings showing that the marijuana business has become a magnet for investors — often with criminal backgrounds — seeking quick profits.
New companies linked to the group
The Skopje-based company “Alfafarm,” at the centre of the scandal, has seven partners, two of whom are particularly relevant: Ivan Dragnic from Krusevac and North Macedonian national Dragan Krstev. BIRN reveals that during certain periods both were part of the management structures of other Macedonian cannabis companies not previously mentioned in official investigation reports.
Ivan Dragnic, a member of the smuggling group whom Serbian prosecutors suspect of receiving the marijuana on Serbian territory, served until three months ago as director of another medical cannabis cultivation company — “Lighting Lux” from Strumica.
VMRO-DPMNE, both while in opposition and in government, has linked this company to individuals from the previous political leadership of SDSM.
In May 2024, Slavica Koteva from Strumica and her business partner Theodorus Petrus Bernardus Wouters from the Netherlands appointed Dragnic as director of “Lighting Lux.”
BIRN contacted Koteva for further information regarding the appointment, but she ended the call and promised to respond later, which did not occur.
After nearly a year and a half in the position, in November 2025 Koteva and Wouters decided to dismiss him.
While little information is available about his role in Strumica, more details have emerged regarding his parallel involvement in the compromised Skopje-based company “Alfafarm,” from which Serbian prosecutors say the smuggling operation began.
Documents from the Central Registry accessed by BIRN show that Dragnic injected capital into “Alfafarm” through an Italian bank in Belgrade. In 2025, he transferred several amounts just under 15,000 euros as part of his founding contribution. During the same period, the other partners also increased the capital, which ultimately reached nearly 530,000 euros.
“Alfafarm’s” account has been frozen following the launch of investigations in Serbia and North Macedonia. Dragnic is currently in custody in Serbia.
The same individuals across multiple companies
The name of 30-year-old Dragan Krstev from Skopje also stands out, as at various times he was part of the ownership or management of three cannabis-related companies.
He entered the sector in 2022 as manager of “Green Life,” whose owners, as BIRN previously reported, are Aleksandar Mijailovic — the primary suspect in Serbia in the marijuana smuggling case — and Ognen Nikolic from Krusevac.
Less than a month after his dismissal as director, in 2023 Krstev became one of the founders of “Alfafarm.” His tenure was brief; in the summer of 2024 a court enforcement officer confiscated his share in the company.
Meanwhile, he became director of another licensed cannabis company — the Skopje-based “RSB Solution,” whose production facility was located in the Karbinci area near Shtip.
He joined the company in April 2024, this time as a Serbian citizen holding a Serbian passport.
A few months later, the government revoked the company’s licence, and Krstev left the post in May last year.
He owns a company in Malta, where BIRN sources say he resides. The same sources claim they met him in Skopje, where he had explored business opportunities with Serbian entrepreneurs even before “Alfafarm” began operations.
An expanded network
The group’s significant presence in North Macedonia’s marijuana sector is further underscored by the fact that, according to Serbian prosecutors, Mijailovic — considered the organiser of the Krusevac-based group — is co-owner of the Valandovo-based company “Green Life.”
The Macedonian government revoked its licence after identifying shortages of dried cannabis flowers and improper storage conditions.
On the same day, North Macedonia’s Interior Ministry confirmed it had entered production facilities in Josifovo and seized one tonne of marijuana.
Mijailovic entered the company through the Serbian firm “Bionaturals,” in which his partner is Ognen Nikolic.
According to BIRN, Nikolic owns a Barcelona-based company trading in flowers, plants and fertilisers, as well as a nightclub in Krusevac.
The ongoing investigation is focused on the smuggling of five tonnes of marijuana from North Macedonia to Krusevac.
Serbian prosecutors allege that Mijailovic instructed Dragnic to secure the marijuana, while Dragnic organised transportation using freight trucks. North Macedonian prosecutors say operations within North Macedonia were coordinated by another associate, Predrag Brkovic.
North Macedonian police told BIRN that the investigation will be extensive and last several months, with the possibility that the group had interests in other European countries not ruled out. Prosecutors from both countries are cooperating closely.
Serbia’s Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime announced that proceedings are being conducted against five individuals and that the involvement of additional persons in Serbia and abroad is not excluded.
Authorities also stated that the assets of the suspects and associated individuals are being temporarily secured to trace the origin of funds.
The seized marijuana is being stored under special conditions pending the conclusion of the case.
How did the smuggling occur?
For North Macedonia’s Prime Minister and his party, the gateway to criminal activity was opened by the 2023 regulation allowing cannabis cultivation in open fields with atmospheric protection.
In their view, cannabis grown directly under sunlight has no place on the pharmaceutical market and is destined for the black market. The problems, however, run deeper and have persisted for years.
Legal cannabis cultivation has been permitted since 2016, with the sector accelerating after active support from then–Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who valued the business at 250 million euros annually. By 2021, more than 60 companies had obtained licences.
The state failed to establish an effective control system. Oversight was entrusted to a five-member commission without permanent status and burdened with multiple responsibilities.
Security vetting of applicants was weak, and BIRN documented cases three years ago of licensed producers with criminal backgrounds.
Recent developments show that both the state and some investors entered the sector without adequate preparation, allowing the legal framework to be exploited for illegal trade. | BGNES
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An investigation by BIRN