The Cela–Çopja clan was one of the most powerful criminal syndicates in Europe, whose decisions determined the price of cocaine across the continent.
Led by its ringleaders, Franc Çopja, 33, and Ervis Cela, 41, the Albanian group smuggled billions of pounds worth of cocaine from Latin America to EU ports. It then laundered the assets through a vast business empire that included vast swaths of real estate, a five-star resort, villas and apartments.
Drug lords amassed such staggering amounts of money that they argued among themselves over whether it was better to hide the banknotes under olive tree roots or convert them into gold bars.
But, within just a few days, the cartel saw its operation collapse, with Çopja and Cela arrested along with their top officers and assets seized by SPAK – the Albanian task force against corruption and organized crime.
In March 2021, investigators broke into Sky ECC, an encrypted messaging service, revealing their alleged crimes.
Cela, who was wanted in Italy for the torture and murder of a rival Albanian tutor, was arrested along with his two brothers and eight other accomplices, during a series of swift raids in June and August.
Çopja was arrested in Belgium in December 2023 and is on trial for murder after being extradited from his villa in Dubai. He is considered the logistical brain of the operation, ensuring the transfer of cocaine through ports in northern Europe.
