The Special Prosecution Office has issued an official statement regarding the operation conducted this morning in the city of Durrës.
Full announcement:
SPAK strikes a structured criminal group involved in contract killings, embezzlement of state property through forgery
The Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, within the framework of criminal proceedings no. 235/1, registered on 30.6.2023, is conducting in-depth investigations regarding several high-risk criminal offenses, committed in special cooperation in the form of a structured criminal group.
The investigation, conducted in close cooperation with Europol, Eurojust, and French law enforcement authorities, enabled the unraveling of an organized criminal scheme involving:
-Premeditated murder committed for revenge, including illegal possession of firearms;
-Forgery of documents and active corruption of persons exercising public functions, committed more than once.
The investigations focused on several Albanian citizens involved in the organization and execution of the murder in the territory of the Republic of Albania for revenge purposes. The persons involved, by cooperating with each other, managed to secure the necessary infrastructure with: rented vehicles, firearms, apartments, as well as to carry out continuous surveillance with the aim of carrying out the murder.
During intensive investigations conducted by investigators of the National Bureau of Investigation (BKH), under the direction of special prosecutors, criminal activity was documented and several of the suspected perpetrators of the criminal offense of murder, with intent to revenge, in the form of a structured criminal group, as well as the perpetrators who committed the falsification of real estate registration documents, committed in the form of a structured criminal group, were identified.
Identifikimi i autorëve të dyshuar për vrasjen për hakmarrje të shtetasit, E.B më datë 21.1.2021, në qytetin e Durrësit.
Veprimet e kundraligjshme të vrasjes me paramendim për hakmarrje, mbajtjes pa leje dhe prodhimit të armëve, janë kryer në kuadër të një grupi të strukturuar kriminal. Si drejtues i grupit të strukturuar kriminal dhe si porositës i vrasjes për hakmarrje dyshohet të jetë shtetasi A.B. (alias A.A), në shenjë hakmarrjeje për tentativën për të vrarë nipin e tij, E.A. (alias A.A).
Gjithashtu si drejtues dhe koordinator i grupit të strukturuar kriminal, dyshohet të jetë shtetasi, E.A. (alias A.A), si ndihmës dyshohet të jetë shtetasi E.K., ndërsa si ekzekutor dyshohet të jenë shtetasit, E.D dhe A.D. Në lidhje me këtë fakt po hetohet për identifikimin e personave të tjerë, të cilët mund të jenë të përfshirë në këtë ngjarje kriminale.
Also, from the evidence administered, it results that the citizen, AL, in the role of creator, leader and organizer, has created a structured criminal group, with the aim of carrying out the illegal activity of forging documents, where members of this structured criminal group are citizens; VM, (alias VK); AB, VB and other unidentified citizens.
These citizens are suspected of having forged documents, the issuance of which is carried out only by the Cadastre institution in the Durrës District Council, the land allocation commissions in the villages, Lalëz, Shetaj, Bizë and Kërtushaj of the Durrës district as well as the former Local Office of Immovable Property Registration, Durrës. The mechanism used by members of this structured criminal group includes the complete forgery of Land Acquisition Acts (LAAs), the partial forgery of original LAAs, by increasing the number of parcels, the production of forged documents and their illegal entry into the archive of the former Durrës Land Registry Office, presenting them as decisions of the Property Title Verification Commission at the Durrës District Council, the removal of property card registry sheets in volume, where properties of the cadastral items "Forest" and "Fruitless" were registered and their replacement with new sheets falsified in form and content, where they reflected registered properties of the cadastral item "Field", the production of completely forged documents of the property revaluation practice, with the aim of paving the way to move to the next phase, which was the transfer of ownership through the sale deed or donation deed, etc.
The properties registered in violation of the law were registered in the names of the villagers of the villages of Lalëz, Draç, Bizë and Shetaj, who in most cases were unaware that they were the owners of these properties.
All these actions were carried out with the sole purpose of realizing illegal profits through the sale of these properties to individuals or companies interested in investments in the coastal area of Lalëz and Shetaj (Rëra e Bardhë and Kepi i Rodonit).
Following the request of the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, by decision no. 97, dated 1.10.2025, the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime has imposed the security measure "prison arrest", provided for by Article 238 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, on Albanian citizens:
AL, suspected of the following criminal offenses:
a. “Forgery of documents”, more than once, committed in a special form of cooperation, that of a structured criminal group, and “Committing criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group”, provided for in articles 186/2, 28/4 and 334, second paragraph, of the Criminal Code.
b. “Structured criminal group”, provided for in article 333/a/1 of the Criminal Code.
2. VM, suspected of the following criminal offenses:
a. “Forgery of documents”, more than once, committed in a special form of collaboration, that of a structured criminal group and “Commitment of criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group”, provided for by articles 186/2, 28/4 and 334, second paragraph of the Criminal Code.
b. “Structured criminal group”, provided for by article 333/a/2 of the Criminal Code.
c. “Active corruption of persons exercising public functions” and “Active corruption of a witness, expert or translator”, and committed in collaboration, provided for by articles 244 and 312 of the Criminal Code.
3. AB, suspected of the following criminal offenses:
a. “Forgery of documents”, more than once, committed in a special form of cooperation, that of a structured criminal group, “Committing criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group”, provided for by articles 186/2, 28/4 and 334, second paragraph, of the Criminal Code.
b. “Structured criminal group”, provided for by article 333/a/2 of the Criminal Code.
4. VB, suspected of the following criminal offenses:
a. “Forgery of documents”, committed in a special form of cooperation, that of a criminal organization and “Commitment of criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group”, provided for by articles 186/2, 28/4 and 334, second paragraph, of the Criminal Code.
b. “Structured criminal group”, provided for by article 333/a/2 of the Criminal Code.
5. EA, suspected of the following criminal offenses:
a. “Premeditated murder”, committed in retaliation, to the detriment of citizen EB alias I. K on 24.01.2021 in the city of Durres, committed in a special form of cooperation, that of a structured criminal group and “Commitment of criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group”, provided for in Articles 78/2, 28/4 and 334, second paragraph of the Criminal Code.
b. “Unauthorized possession and production of weapons, explosive weapons and ammunition”, committed in a special form of cooperation, that of a structured criminal group and “Commitment of criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group”, provided for in Articles 278/1, 28/4 and 334, first paragraph of the Criminal Code.
c. “Structured criminal group”, provided for in Article 333/a/1 of the Criminal Code
6. AB, alias AA and AS, suspected of the criminal offenses:
a. “Premeditated murder”, committed in revenge, to the detriment of citizen Edmir Bregu alias Ilir Kuçi (Maloku) on 24.01.2021 in the city of Durrës, committed in a special form of cooperation, that of a structured criminal group and “Commitment of criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group”, provided for by articles 78/2, 28/4 and 334, second paragraph, of the Criminal Code.
b. “Structured criminal group”, provided for by article 333/a/1 of the Criminal Code.
7. AD, suspected of the following criminal offenses:
a. “Premeditated murder”, committed in revenge, to the detriment of citizen Edmir Bregu alias Ilir Kuçi (Maloku) on 24.01.2021 in the city of Durrës, committed in a special form of cooperation, that of a structured criminal group and “Commitment of criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group”, provided for by articles 78/2, 28/4 and 334, second paragraph, of the Criminal Code.
b. “Structured criminal group”, provided for by article 333/a/2 of the Criminal Code.
c. "Unauthorized possession and production of weapons, explosive weapons and ammunition", carried out in a special form of cooperation, that of a structured criminal group, and "Commitment of criminal offenses by a structured criminal group and criminal organization", provided for by articles 278/1, 28/4 and 334, first paragraph of the Criminal Code.
8. EK, suspected of the following criminal offenses:
a. “Premeditated murder”, committed in revenge, to the detriment of citizen Edmir Bregu alias Ilir Kuçi (Maloku) on 24.01.2021 in the city of Durrës, committed in a special form of cooperation, that of a structured criminal group and “Commitment of criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group”, provided for by articles 78/2, 28/4 and 334, second paragraph, of the Criminal Code.
b. “Structured criminal group”, provided for by article 333/a/2 of the Criminal Code.
c. "Unauthorized possession and production of weapons, explosive weapons and ammunition", carried out in a special form of cooperation, that of a structured criminal group, and "Commitment of criminal offenses by a structured criminal group and criminal organization", provided for by articles 278/1, 28/4 and 334, first paragraph of the Criminal Code.
as well as the security measure "Prohibition of leaving the country" for citizen EA, suspected of the criminal offense:
a. “Forgery of documents”, committed by the person who is responsible for issuing the document, provided for in Article 186, paragraph three, of the Criminal Code.
The Special Prosecutors issued the orders for the execution of security measures on 1.10.2025.
The implementation of security measures against citizens VM, EK, VB, AB and EA was made possible by BKH investigators and the structures of the General Directorate of the State Police, while the search for suspects AL, EA, AB and AD continues.
In implementation of decision no. 614 dated 1.10.2025, the preventive seizure of 11 (eleven) properties with a total area of 254,300 m² was carried out in the coastal area of the village of Shetaj, Durrës.
We thank the General Directorate of the State Police and the BKH for the professionalism shown and the close cooperation in the execution phase of court decisions.
We particularly thank Europol, Eurojust, the judicial authorities of the Republic of France and the law enforcement authorities of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany for their intensive cooperation and contribution during the investigations of this criminal proceeding as well as in the implementation of personal security measures.
