OPEN LETTER/ Come to the dialogue and listen to me speak, otherwise I will cut off your scholarships, you will rot in prison. Please!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Luxury, bloodshed and millions of EUROS seized/ French media: The fall of the infamous "ÇOPJA" CLAN from Elbasan, among the most dangerous in Europe...

2025-09-04 11:30:16Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Luxury, bloodshed and millions of EUROS seized/ French media: The fall of the
This criminal family, led by two brothers from Elbasan, Franc and Hajdar Çopja

A serious blow was dealt at the beginning of August to one of the most dangerous Albanian criminal organizations in the world.

Albanian police, supported by France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy , undertook new raids against the assets of the notorious Çopja clan, known in the world of drug trafficking for importing tens of tons of cocaine from Latin America to Europe.

After several years of investigations, 10 senior leaders of the organization were arrested, while authorities seized a hotel complex, villas with pools, apartments and luxury cars , valued at millions of euros .

In this operation alone, 120 thousand euros in cash were also found.

But, according to international investigators, this is only the “ tip of the iceberg .” This crime family, led by two brothers from Elbasan, Franc and Hajdar Çopja, has built one of the largest mafia empires in Europe.

From Elbasan to the European drug capitals

Their story begins in 2007 in Elbasan. Franci, then only 17 years old, thirsty for power and fame, entered the world of drugs and dragged his older brother, Hajdar, after him.

They quickly made contact with cocaine cartels in Paraguay and Colombia, negotiating prices and bringing giant shipments to Europe.

Within a few years, the Çopjats became among the pioneers of cocaine laboratories in Europe, setting up production networks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In 2020 alone, according to investigative files, they smuggled at least 28 tons of cocaine into Europe.

International operations and the fall of the empire

In October 2021, Belgian police with over 1,100 officers landed at 11 cocaine laboratories linked to Çopjat, where they seized 32 tons of narcotics and luxury goods worth over 7 million euros.

In July 2024, as part of Operation " Gorgon ", Europol coordinated the arrest of 15 other members of the clan in Tirana, seizing assets and 1 million euros in cash.

These strikes were made possible thanks to the shutdown of the organized crime communication app SkyECC in 2021, where the Cops had left clear traces of their activity.

From Durrës to Dubai, dirty money and bloodshed

With the staggering profits, the Çopjas invested in real estate in Tirana and Elbasan, bought businesses, while Franc Çopja moved the clan's "headquarters" to Dubai, where he built luxury villas and invested around 200 million euros.

But success also brought bloodshed.

In 2019–2020, the Çopja clan was involved in a bloody war with another Albanian mafia group, the Alibej clan, which ended with at least nine mafia murders in Belgium and Albania, among them the sensational execution of rival Ardit Spahiu in Molenbeek, Brussels.

Spectacular arrests and the end of the Çopja dynasty?

In 2023, Dubai authorities arrested Franc Copjan (who used the identity,  Franc Gergel y) and extradited him to Belgium to stand trial for murder, drug trafficking, weapons, embezzlement, and corruption.

Hajdari was arrested the following year, also in the United Arab Emirates.

Now, after the latest wave of arrests and seizures, it appears that the Cops' empire is collapsing under the pressure of international police cooperation.

But experts warn: the void left behind by such a powerful clan will be immediately targeted by other criminal groups, perhaps equally ruthless. / Le Figaro


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×