Novi Sad: 60kg of marijuana in van, Belgrade man held
Criminal police in Novi Sad stopped a cargo van mid-drive and arrested its driver from Belgrade, in whose vehicle roughly 60 kilograms of marijuana packed for street sale were found.
- Criminal police in Novi Sad stopped a cargo van mid-drive and arrested its driver, a man from Belgrade.
- The vehicle held about 60 kilograms of marijuana packed for street sale.
- The van and two mobile phones were seized alongside the drugs.
- The suspect, N. K. (29), was ordered held for up to 48 hours.
Criminal police in Novi Sad have arrested N. K., a 29-year-old from Belgrade, on suspicion of the unauthorised production and trafficking of narcotics. The arrest came mid-drive, when officers blocked the cargo van the suspect was driving. About 60 kilograms of marijuana were found inside.
According to police, the drugs were bundled into packages prepared for resale. Along with the narcotics, officers seized the van itself and two mobile phones, which now serve as material evidence in the pre-trial proceedings.
How the operation unfolded
The suspect had, by unofficial accounts, been under surveillance by Novi Sad detectives for some time. According to the police statement, officers waited for the vehicle to set off, then intercepted and stopped it in transit. That approach is used when an investigation aims to seize drugs during transport, at the moment the load is in the vehicle and the link between suspect and shipment is clearest.
The seized quantity of roughly 60 kilograms places this case among the larger recent marijuana seizures in Novi Sad. It far exceeds any threshold for personal use and, in the police assessment, was being prepared for the street market.
The two seized phones will be sent for forensic examination. The aim of analysing the communications is to establish who organised the shipment, who the drugs were intended for, and whether a wider network stands behind the driver. At this stage the suspect is charged with a criminal offence, but his guilt has not been established by a final ruling.
The suspect was ordered held for up to 48 hours. After that period expires, he will be brought, together with a criminal complaint, before the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad, which will decide on the further course of the case and any motion for detention.
What comes next in the investigation?
For the prosecution, the key question is whether the driver was merely a courier or a link in organised distribution. The answer depends largely on the forensic work on the phones and whether the analysis uncovers contacts, pickup arrangements and delivery orders. If an organised group is established, the case could grow beyond a single arrest.
The seizure of the vehicle matters too. A cargo van is well suited to moving a larger load without drawing attention, so investigators routinely check the vehicle’s ownership, its route and whether the same van was used for similar runs before.
Novi Sad police have reported several drug seizures across the city and its surroundings in recent months. No single operation says much about the size of the market on its own, but a string of seizures suggests detectives are increasingly intercepting drugs precisely at the transport stage.
Until the case before the prosecutor’s office concludes, the suspect enjoys the presumption of innocence. The next steps, questioning, the decision on detention and any motion for custody, will show how firm the evidence gathered at the scene really is.
How far will the results of the phone forensics decide whether this case stays with one driver or opens into a wider investigation?
