Grocka: 29 Kilograms of Cannabis Found at Marko Z.'s Home
Belgrade's Higher Public Prosecutor's Office says over 29 kilograms of cannabis were found in an apartment in Grocka. Marko Z. (20) stayed silent under questioning; prosecutors seek his detention.
The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office (HPPO) in Belgrade announced on September 19 that it had questioned Marko Z., 20, suspected of unlawfully possessing and selling cannabis in Grocka. Investigators believe that on September 17 he was keeping more than 29 kilograms of the drug in an apartment in that Belgrade municipality.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, there is reasonable suspicion that Marko Z. left a residential building in Grocka that day around 7 p.m., carrying a messenger bag. Inside, prosecutors say, were personal documents issued in someone else’s name, a mobile phone and 252.41 grams of cannabis.
The suspect then allegedly walked down the street on foot and stopped at a dead end, where a Fiat was waiting for him. He handed the bag to an unidentified person behind the wheel, then walked back to the building he had come from. The Fiat driver headed toward Ustanicka Street but, noticing officers following him, stopped the car and fled on foot in an unknown direction, the prosecutor’s office says.
A search of the apartment in Grocka is believed to have turned up a total of 29,156.96 grams of cannabis.
Why are prosecutors seeking his detention?
Under the order to launch an investigation, Marko Z. is charged with the unauthorized production and trafficking of narcotics, an offense carrying a prison sentence of more than ten years. Prosecutors have asked the pre-trial judge of the Higher Court in Belgrade to order his detention, arguing that there is a risk he could reoffend and that the nature and seriousness of the offense have stirred public concern that could jeopardize the proceedings.
Marko Z. exercised his legal right to remain silent during questioning and offered no defense.
The Telegraf portal, which covered the arrest under the headline “Belgrade’s marijuana prince,” reports that the operation took place in the Grocka municipality and that the Fiat driver fled almost immediately after the bag was handed over.
A similar case: the Banovo Brdo arrest
Earlier this year, Belgrade prosecutors also sought detention for a suspect who stayed silent during questioning. In the case of N.J. from Banovo Brdo, prosecutors likewise requested detention because of the severity of the alleged offense, and the suspect chose silence as his defense. The final decision on whether Marko Z. will be held in detention rests with the pre-trial judge of the Higher Court in Belgrade.
