Investigation against Violand Braçellari/ The shepherd's testimony, key evidence

2026-06-11 12:40:00, Aktualitet CNA

Investigation against Violand Braçellari/ The shepherd's testimony,

The testimony of Aleksandër Kola, who worked as a shepherd at Violand Braçellari's farm in the Boda area, is considered one of the key pieces of evidence in the investigation conducted against the latter.

According to statements given to investigators, Kola indicated that he had started working in mid-May 2026, after being offered a monthly salary of around 1,200 euros to take care of the livestock. He stated that throughout the entire period he stayed at the farm, Braçellari constantly carried firearms with him, specifically a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a double-barreled shotgun.

In his testimony, Kola claimed that he had noticed a constant vigilant behavior on the part of Braçellari, who carefully controlled every movement of people approaching the camp. According to him, Braçellari would often leave for mountainous areas immediately after receiving phone calls warning him of suspicious movements in the area.

Kola also confessed that a few days before the incident, Braçellari had left armed after being notified that unknown vehicles were approaching the camp. Another important episode mentioned in the testimony is the conflict between him and Braçellari on June 3, 2026. According to Kola, he had asked to leave for a few days due to his mother's health condition, but the request was rejected.

He claims that the argument escalated into insults, threats and physical violence. According to his testimony, Braçellari had pointed a gun at him several times, threatening to kill him. Fearing for his life, Kola stated that he left the camp, taking his personal belongings with him, as, according to him, he had seen many suspicious circumstances that made him feel in danger.

After leaving, he filed a police report. According to investigations, this report became one of the main elements that led to the organization of the operation to capture Violand Braçellari.

Part from the file:

On 03.06.2026, citizen Aleksandër Kola appeared at the Maliq Police Station to file a criminal report. In his report, this citizen stated that he had been in Durrës and had met with a citizen who was a cousin of Violandi and had told him why he was staying here with little money, while he was going to a job that he would give him where he could earn more money and he was in Maliq and they exchanged phone numbers and communicated and spoke with the number 0685526788. He himself spoke with this number and does not know who has it, he (Violandi) or his mother. After talking to him on the phone, on 14.05.2026 and leaving him with a boy who took him to a village and there he was picked up by this person himself, Violandi, who took him in a gray "Nisan" jeep and there he started for the stable and saw an environment with many cows, his house and that he lives there alone with his mother and that there are many dogs around. Aleksandër Kola worked as a stable worker and they had made a deal with him for a salary of 120,000 old lek. During the entire time he saw him, he noticed that he carries weapons with him, a Kalash automatic weapon and a pair of two-shot rifles and several times they went out together and hunted with that couple and when he carried the pair he also carried the Kalash with him. From what he saw, he also has another phone, but he keeps it without a number and talks to his mother's internet. And that during these days only his brother comes there to the stable and no one else. A few days ago, if I'm not mistaken it was the 27th, he was working and someone called him and told him that some cars with black windows were driving up to the farm and that at that moment he ran away and said that he was running away because he had a job and had taken the Kalashnikov, that he was holding it at the door of the stable and ran away from the thorns on the mountain. Today, around 6:30 PM, he was at the farm and made a few trips by car to carry flour for the cows and after that he had a trip to make. Around 3:00 PM he ate some bread and went downstairs, when he saw Violand on the road going up to the farm, coming around incognito. At that time, Aleksandar's sister called him and told him that their mother was sick and he had to go home. After these words from his sister, Aleksandr told Violand that he had to go to Durrës because his mother was sick and that he did not want any money and that he would return and that he was not even taking his clothes with him, but only asked for some money for the road, but Violand there began to raise his voice. Initially, he told her that they had not left him like this and that they had talked about staying for three months without leaving. Aleksandr told her that he was going to the trouble for two days and not a day more and that he was not taking anything that he would return. He (Violandi) started cursing from the house and Aleksandr cursed him and Violand started to punch him and he kept the gun with him the whole time.He was looking at it and thought that he had something that kept the gun with him all the time and only the day before he had found out from Violand's mother that he had been involved with the police for drugs, but he didn't know for sure and that was why he kept the gun with him. During the entire time that Aleksandr was there, no one came. During that time, he often kept his mother's phone with him and that when he picked it up, he would run away into the mountains, but Aleksandr doesn't know who took it. When he shot them today, no one was present, so it was only Aleksandr and Violand and the latter, what he didn't say, cursed him out of the house and then when there was a noise, he came to his mother. Violandi drove the Kalash several times, but his mother would come and intervene, and Aleksandr told him to kill her, what should he say, and at around 8:30 p.m. he called a taxi, which came and picked him up by car, but he didn't know the names of the places, but he came down from the mountain on foot. At that time, only Violandi and his mother were there, and no one else. Aleksandr was threatened by Violandi for no reason, but only because he wanted to take two days off work to see his sick mother. He was cursed at by the housekeeper and he pointed his gun at him several times and said he would kill him here in the mountains and when he broke away from him, he took a suitcase of clothes and ran away from the tent, because he was afraid that Violendi would follow him and when he noticed him, he followed him in a jeep, parked his "Nissan" and when he saw that he was afraid, he turned off the road and Aleksandr went down to the bridge.He took a suitcase of clothes and ran away from the tent, because he was afraid that Violendi would follow him. When he noticed him, he followed him in a jeep, parked his Nissan, and when he saw that he was afraid, he turned off the road and Aleksandr went down to the bridge.He took a suitcase of clothes and ran away from the tent, because he was afraid that Violendi would follow him. When he noticed him, he followed him in a jeep, parked his Nissan, and when he saw that he was afraid, he turned off the road and Aleksandr went down to the bridge.

Subsequently, a record was kept of the data collection from the person who had knowledge of the criminal offense, citizen Aleksandër Kola, who indicated the same circumstances of the investigation as he had presented in the criminal report filed by him at the Maliq Police Station. A decision was also made to conduct a forensic medical examination of citizen Aleksandër Kola.

On 04.06.2026, a record was kept of the re-taking of data from the person who had knowledge of the criminal offense, citizen Aleksandër Kola, who stated that in April 2026 he was employed illegally (uninsured) at a car wash in the city of Durrës, whose owner was Andi. While working at the aforementioned car wash, he became friends with a citizen, whose name he does not remember, and this citizen owned a white “Range-Rover” vehicle. This citizen initially asked him how much he earned and after Aleksandër replied about 600 (six hundred) euros, this person offered him a job as a “shepherd” at an acquaintance of his, where the payment would be 1200 (one thousand two hundred) euros. After accepting, the aforementioned citizen gave him the phone number +355685526788, which is Violand's number, which he initially called and on 14.05.2026 he met him and started working at his farm near the city of Maliq, where he took care of the cattle. Yesterday he had an argument with Violand, a fact for which he filed the relevant report at the Maliq Police Station. Asked about the fact that during the time he stayed in the company of citizen Violand Braçellari, the latter mentioned that he had contacts or communications with police officers and citizen Aleksandër Kola replied that as far as he remembers, on one occasion while Violand was telling him about his past in the state of Greece, he mentioned the fact that he had a cousin, an aunt's son, who worked with "crimes" in Korça. Asked if he had participated in the action carried out today by the structure of the Korça Local Police Directorate, to capture citizen Violand Braçellari, citizen Aleksandër Kola replied that after filing the report, the Chief of the Maliq Police Station asked him to show him the location of the place where citizen Violand Braçellari was staying/sleeping, as a police check would be carried out. Today, on 04.06.2026, at around 05:00 in the morning, the Chief of the Maliq Police Station called him on the “WhatsApp” communication application and after meeting him, gave him a mask and a police T-shirt with the inscription “POLICIA”, which he wore. He then set off together with the police officers to the aforementioned location, where he traveled in a gray-colored SUV type vehicle. When asked about how many police vehicles he found participated in the operation to capture citizen Violand Braçellari, citizen Aleksandër Kola responded that there were five vehicles, specifically 1 (one) white “forester”, 1 (one) gray “forester”, 1 (one) police van, 1 (one) white Range-Rover, and 1 (one) gray “forester”. When asked about what time they arrived at the location where citizen Violand Braçellari was, citizen Aleksandër Kola responded that around 06:30-07:00. Initially, the aforementioned vehicles stopped at a distance of 100-200 meters from the place where Violand Braçellari was and after all the police officers got off, he remembers that they were wearing bulletproof equipment and were armed with “automatic” weapons. Then, the police officers lined up and in front of them stood 4 (four) other officers, who he thinks were their leaders and gave orders on how the search would be conducted. At one point, one of them, of average build, a bearded man, addressed the police officers with the words “No words” and ordered their organized distribution in groups of 4 (four) people. After the police officers entered for the search, he heard gunshots and the words “Hand over the weapon” and found that an officer was injured in the jaw. Then, together with the officers, he came to the premises of the Korça Local Police Directorate. /CNA