Aleksic: Marijuana Growing Is State's Major Business

Miroslav Aleksic (Photo: Beta / Milos Miskov)

The deputy president of the People's Party, Miroslav Aleksic, stated on Nov. 28 that the police had established that Predrag Koluvija, the owner of the "Jovanjica" agricultural property where a large quantity of marijuana was seized, phoned the brother of the Serbian president, Andrej Vucic, after having been arrested, and that "this was a major business of the state, which the regime is trying to hush up by arresting the direct perpetrators."

"I have reliable information from the police that Koluvija phoned Andrej Vucic. Why him? I am urging the prosecution to respond to this information. The answers about the state's involvement in this business are hiding in Koluvija's phone. He also often contacted Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic. Perhaps that is why Stefanovic is not making any statements," Aleksic said at a news conference in the Serbian Parliament.

"'Jovanjica' has received tens of millions of dinars in incentives from the state, and organic food production has been a front from the very start. Koluvija and his father were arrested because of narcotics before, and the regime brought Predrag Koluvija from Germany in 2012 and presented him as a major producer of organic food, in order for him to start the biggest marijuana growing operation in Europe, on 12 hectares. That could not have been done without the state's help," Aleksic said.