"Invest, don't bury it because it will go to waste" - The Albanian "Escobar" lamented to Çopja that he didn't know where to hide the millions

2026-03-03 21:55:36Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

"Invest, don't bury it because it will go to waste" - The

The Albanian mafia boss, convicted by Belgian justice for his involvement in numerous criminal activities, Franc Çopja has invested several times in cryptocurrencies through dirty money, facilitating their use. Çopja also taught this "strategy" to his associate, Ervis Çela. 

In today's episode of the show "Shënjestër", the scheme was revealed of how criminal groups are using cryptocurrencies not only to make payments for the purchase of quantities of narcotics, but also to invest the money gained from criminal activities in digital cryptocurrency wallets.

Conversations between Franc Çopja and Ervis Çela, from the village of Fatish in Peqin, who can be considered without fear as the Albanian 'Pablo Escobar', revealed the mafias' "concern" about finding a safe place for their money, which amounted to staggering amounts.

Ervis Çela, together with his brothers, Albini, Rizai and Ardiani, through their involvement in the criminal world, had managed to secure "a mountain of money".

In conversations obtained by Sky Ecc, Çela appeared on the one hand boasting that he had secured 100 million euros, and on the other hand worried about how he would cross the border into Albania.

His colleague, Franc Çopja, provided a solution to the problem. The latter advised him to invest in gold bars, as he himself had been doing for a long time.

The maid advised Çela to invest the money in gold bars and not to bury them, emphasizing that they could be damaged.

Ervis Çela - Friend, I received 3.8 million today in Tirana… I have 200 olives in the mountain, they need to be planted with some kind of pot… Because olives live a long time…

Franc Çopja - Turn to gold... Don't put money in the ground... Listen to me...

Ervis Çela - There's no gold... I have to rob a bank... I have to order from Africa...

Franc Çopja - I know there isn't one... I'll talk to someone, don't make them up. But collect them slowly. But don't put money in the ground because it spoils.

Ervis Çela - I know that money is wasted… Ask him. How much is 100-200 kilos…

Ervis Çela tells his friend that he is buying two portfolios, with the aim of investing in cryptocurrencies. A portfolio that reaches the figure of 14 million dollars. From which in a year he will be able to earn about 2.5 million dollars.

According to the pair's communication, turning the money into gold bars made it easier to hide and convert it into cash.

We recall that the Serious Crimes Court in Brussels sentenced mafia boss Franc Gergely, also known as Franc Çopja, to 25 years in prison for organizing the murder of Ardit Spahiu, a crime that occurred on November 27, 2020 in the Molenbeek area, Belgium.

According to the jury, Franc Çopja had ordered the execution from Dubai, where he had been living for several years.

The decision came after the court on Friday found the defendants guilty as perpetrators or accomplices in the murder of Spahiu, who had fled Albania in 2019 because he feared for his life, following fierce clashes between rival clans in Elbasan.


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