The mobile teams of the Customs Administration seized 60 kilograms of the intoxicating drug marijuana, intended for the European market, yesterday at the Deve Bair border crossing. This prevented an international channel of illegal drug trade. The value of the seized drugs on the illegal market is estimated at 240 to 300 thousand euros.
The narcotic drug was found in specially made bunkers in a vehicle with Romanian license plates driven by a Romanian citizen, where 64 packages of marijuana were hidden.
The drugs and the vehicle were seized, and the persons were detained and handed over to the Department of Investigations for further proceedings. A criminal report has been submitted to the competent Basic Public Prosecutor's Office - Kumanovo against the two persons and a measure of detention has been determined for them.
During 2022, Customs prevented the illegal trade of over 8 tons of drugs and psychotropic substances, with an estimated value of 50,3 million euros on the illegal market.
Also, in 2022, the Customs Administration records a doubling of the number of cases of prevention of illegal trade in all categories compared to 2021. Compared to 2021, when there were 58 cases of seizures, last year a total of 114 cases of seizures were recorded of: drugs and psychotropic substances with an estimated value of over 50 million euros, as well as seizures of foreign currency, gold and excise goods worth over 2 million euros. "There was a record seizure of gold and foreign currency worth one million euros recently, in the second half of December," the Customs announced.
