An investigation based on messages discovered by the Sky Ecc communication system puts the suspected criminal group linked to Ervis Çela at the center of the accusations, which according to the investigative file is involved in international drug trafficking and a money laundering scheme through businesses opened in Albania. In the conversations published by the show "Në Shënjestër", it turns out that one of the plans to justify the entry of money was to open a "wool factory" and use fictitious invoices.
According to the content of the messages, which are part of the investigative file, Ervis Çela suggested to his brother, Albin Çela, to create a textile/wool business and prepare to issue invoices to legalize the large savings that allegedly came from illegal activities. In one of the conversations, Ervis tells his brother: “I have an idea to open a wool company and make invoices, to put lek in the bank… I have almost 20 million in Holland…”. The text of the conversations suggests that many of the related businesses were fictitious or did not produce real profits, with the aim of laundering capital.
The investigation also includes other names that, according to investigators, have served as money transfer points. One of them is Vilson Pepa, known in the media as “Soni Pepa”, who was arrested in early September 2025 in Santo Domingo under an international arrest warrant and then extradited to Albania. Through conversations, it turns out that Soni Pepa has deposited significant amounts of money into the group's account — a total of around 1,280,000 euros, according to communications, including a transaction of 300,000 euros on January 6, 2021. The Dominican Republic authorities made the arrest in coordination with the international Interpol.
In these transactions, according to the revelations, a transfer method was used that aimed to avoid customs controls and official declarations: the money was brought into the country by international passenger bus drivers and then delivered to trusted persons in Albania, often through family intermediaries. Likewise, the communication materials also show links to arms trafficking and the use of containers designated as “metal” or “ink” to hide narcotics.
The network and financial fraternity described in the conversations are linked to large drug shipments that attempted to be trafficked to Europe in 2020–2021. At different times, two large shipments (about 12 tons and then 13 tons) coming from South America and passing through the ports of Antwerp and Hamburg are mentioned; 600 kg of drugs were seized in Rotterdam, while other authorities reported seizures and investigations into suspicious containers bearing identifying marks and construction material used to disguise the substance.
On the legal side, the case remains under investigation: the recent extradition and arrests — including the handover of Soni Pepa to Albanian authorities — are allowing the competent institutions to carry out verifications and prosecutions for the suspected offenses, which include drug trafficking, participation in a criminal organization and money laundering. Local and international officials have obtained materials and evidence and are working to trace the transaction networks and destinations of the assets suspected of being illegally acquired.
