SPAK seizes 11 assets of traffickers/ Among them the restaurant of Gëzim Çela's nephew

2023-10-11 10:16:00, Kronika CNA

SPAK seizes 11 assets of traffickers/ Among them the restaurant of Gëzim

The Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime has seized 11 assets of traffickers.

The assets belong to the traffickers arrested as part of the anti-drug operation "Flame at sea".

Among the assets seized is the "Royal Blue" restaurant in Lezhë owned by Nderim Çela, grandson of Gëzim Çela.

Also, 4 cars, 4 dinghies, 10,000 euros and over 2 million new lek were seized.

Full Notice:

The Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime has registered criminal proceedings No. 185 of 2023 for the criminal offenses of "Trafficking in narcotics" committed in cooperation, within the framework of the structured criminal group "Structured criminal group" and "Commitment of criminal offenses by criminal organization and structured criminal group", provided by articles 283/a/1, 333/a and 334 of the Criminal Code. By decision of the Special Prosecutor's Office, criminal proceeding no. 185 of 2023 was merged with criminal proceeding no. 211 of 2023.

From the investigations carried out, it was found that on March 31, 2023, after conducting the investigative actions in dynamics, a control was exercised in the Mercedez Benz vehicle with license plate AB 790 IK, where 62 packages weighing 41 were found and seized as material evidence. kilogram and 695 grams, narcotic substance of the "heroin" type, as well as the suspect Armando Papa was arrested red-handed and the investigations for the other members of the criminal group continued.

Following the investigation of this criminal proceeding, data was administered on the fact that members of this criminal group, on August 14, 2023, would traffic a significant amount of narcotic substance of the type "cannabis sativa" from the place called Patok-Kurbin with vessels, through the sea, and this narcotic substance would be exchanged at sea with narcotics of the "cocaine" type, which would be transported by another vessel that was driven by foreign citizens. The narcotics would then be trafficked by members of this criminal group.

After the administration of the data and information by the judicial police, it was found that at the exit from the "Laguna e Patoku", Kurbin, a raft-type vehicle was found traveling at speed in the direction of a sailing vehicle "velier" identified later as the sailing vessel "NIULA" with a foreign flag which had entered the Albanian territorial waters without notice, in the vicinity of "Cape Rodoni". On the part of the judicial police in the General Directorate of the State Police, it communicated and cooperated with the Italian police forces Guardia di Finanza (which operate in the Republic of Albania and in Italy) with the aim of capturing two vessels and seizing narcotics in cooperation with the judicial police who were following the investigations. The vessels are kept under constant surveillance and follow-up by the judicial police. At the moment when the police vehicles were seen by the suspects, the Ukrainian citizens KP and KB, who were in the vessel "veliere", set fire to the vessel in which the narcotics were located and went down in a rescue vehicle, while the other boat that was driven by Albanian citizens, started from "Laguna e Patoku", Kurbin, has left quickly, being followed by police forces. This vehicle was seized after several hours of pursuit by the police. The investigations prove that this vessel was driven by the suspect BB. During the investigation carried out in the place where the vessel "Velier" was found, the judicial police found and seized as material evidence packages with narcotics of the "cannabis sativa" type. which have not managed to burn completely.

From the totality of the investigative actions carried out, it appears that there are suspicions that the persons under investigation G. Ç., RG, AD cooperating with AI, AM, N. Ç., BB, KP, KB, AP, DM, acting as Head of the Police Station Kurbin and other unidentified persons, in the form of a structured criminal group, have consumed the elements of the criminal offenses of "Trafficking in narcotics", "Cleaning of the products of criminal offences", "Structured criminal group", "Commitment of criminal offenses by criminal organizations and structured criminal groups", "Unauthorized possession and production of weapons, explosive weapons and ammunition", provided by articles 283/a, 287, 333/a, 334, 278 of the Criminal Code .

Also, after the data administered during the investigation for assets benefited from the proceeds of criminal activity, property proceeding no. 14/2023 was registered and within this property proceeding, the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime with decision no. 27 dated 09.10.2023 decided the sequestration of the assets as follows:

1. The company "Royal Blue" Sh.pk, founded on October 26, 2022 with administrators and sole partners with 100% of the quotas, M.Th. with object of activity Bar Restaurant and address Lezhë, Laç, Lezhë District, Laç Municipality, Fushë-Kuqe Administrative Unit, Patok Village, Property no. 1759, Cadastral area 1673;

2. Volkswagen brand vehicle, Golf model, year of production 2020, white color with license plate, owned by N. Ç.;

3. Audi brand vehicle, model Q8, year of production 2018, white color, owned by N. Ç.;

4. Audi brand vehicle, model A8, year of production 2017, dark gray color, owned by citizen AI;

5. Volkswagen brand vehicle, Golf model, year of production 2015, gray color, owned by the company "Ayla" shpk.;

6. Raft-type boat, gray in color, 9 m long and 2.7 m wide, with three black Yamaha 350 V8 engines;

7. 50 euro banknotes, 200 pieces, seized from AI citizens;

8. The monetary amount of 35,000 (thirty-five thousand) Euros, 500 (five hundred) British pounds, 50 (fifty) Swiss francs and 2,344,500 (two million three hundred and forty-four thousand five hundred) lek, seized from the citizens of N. Ch.;

9. Zip watercraft, dinghy about 7 meters long, with 1 inboard motor, Ratox type with number M6237725, black color placed on the carrel with number ROMA86/52;

10. Gray dinghy-type water vehicle with the inscription AKUILA NERA SEM, with 1 SUZUKI engine, with a power of 150 hp, number 02/0z/580020;

11. Raft-type watercraft, black, about 10m long, with the inscription "G-RS", with 2 Suzuki-type engines with a power of 300 hp each, with the numbers 3000ZP - 245968 and 3000ZP - 245/92.

Investigations related to this criminal proceeding continue with the aim of identifying other associates involved in this criminal activity./ CNA