Dragan Stojanov from Kocani gets 3 years and 6 months for smuggling five tons of marijuana
Stojanov's plea was confirmed in August 2026; in three transports the drugs were hidden with pillows and bedding, he received €10,000 per transport.
The Skopje Criminal Court confirmed the plea deal for Dragan Stojanov from Kocani, which resulted in a prison sentence of 3 years and 6 months for smuggling five tons of marijuana into Serbia.
The court records state that Stojanov, who in the documents is described as convicted five times, himself initiated the plea deal together with his lawyer on 04.08.2026, and it was accepted and confirmed by the court on 10 August 2026.
How he participated and the timeline
The records indicate that Stojanov took part in a total of five transports of cannabis across the border: the first two in mid-August 2025, the third in September 2025, the fourth in November 2025, and the last on 13.01.2026 (Orthodox or Old New Year). His roles were as an escort driver or as a "cleaner" before the transport.
The plea deal describes in detail the methods of concealment: on three occasions the drugs were replaced with pillows, duvets and bedding in the trucks; once the truck was declared empty but in fact transported marijuana; and once the marijuana was placed instead of pastry cake layers, rolls and cake sheets. For each transport, Stojanov received a "fee" of €10,000, packed in a plastic bag. The drugs were transported to the location Konjuh in Serbia where, the documents state, Stojanov had been several times.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered him to pay court costs of around 20,000 denars. The records contain no decision to confiscate other monetary funds earned through participation in the smuggling. From the detentions and searches an iPhone 17 Pro with two SIM cards and over 130 boxes with various pillows and bedding found during a search of Stojanov's father's property were seized; the pillows are listed in detail (scented, supports, even anti-snore cushions), but the plea deal does not determine the precise proceeds from the crime to be confiscated.
Stojanov spent exactly 6 months in custody and has three years of the sentence remaining to serve. The owners and the manager of the Skopje company Alfafarm Group are also suspected in the case; the indictment describes them as organizers of the group that successfully organized cross-border smuggling five times within less than five months. The affair was uncovered when the Serbian prosecution, during its investigation, discovered a warehouse in Konjuh with 5 tons of marijuana "made in Macedonia".
Photo: press material from the event
