Until recently, Rade Spasojević was a respected local businessman and politician in Kruševac, known primarily as a baker at Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) events. That image collapsed after authorities seized five tons of marijuana at his company, Florakom, and Spasojević was taken into custody.
Spasojević, who has lived in the village of Konjuh near Kruševac since 2007, launched Florakom the same year, a business focused on cucumbers. According to Ivan Mandić, president of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) in Kruševac, Spasojević’s political rise accelerated after SNS came to power in 2012. He eventually became chair of the local Konjuh community and head of SNS’s agriculture committee in Kruševac, while also playing a ceremonial role at party events.
Mandić claims that Spasojević’s ascent was backed by current Defense Minister Bratislav Gašić, a native of Kruševac. “Without personal connections to Gašić, Spasojević likely wouldn’t have obtained any party position locally,” Mandić said.
Despite his local prominence, Mandić doubts the Spasojević family acted alone. “It’s hard to believe they handled five tons of marijuana without a larger organization, equipment, and network—similar to what Koluvija had on Jovanjica,” he said.
Investigations and Implications
The arrest also raised questions about how such a large quantity of drugs entered Serbia. Democratic Party leader Srđan Milivojević suggested that the operation would have required political support at the highest levels, implying involvement from SNS leadership.
In the same operation, Spasojević’s son, Nebojša, was also arrested on suspicion of illegal production and trafficking of narcotics, as well as illegal possession of weapons and explosives. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić praised law enforcement for seizing the drugs, emphasizing the protection of children and public safety.
While Dačić credited the Criminal Police Directorate, the operation was carried out under the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (JTOK). Gašić, responding to the controversy over his ties to Spasojević, said, “Anyone who hides behind a party membership to commit crimes will not succeed. Criminals will be punished in accordance with the law. Fighting crime and corruption is the state’s absolute priority.”
The seizure in Konjuh is considered the largest drug bust in Serbian history, shedding light on the intersection of local politics, organized crime, and state security agencies.
