
A week ago, 30-year-old Kristian Bardhi alias Marku was executed in a mafia assassination in Vlora, an event that marks the next chapter in the enmity between several powerful tribes from Rrëshen.
In this Wednesday's episode, the Inside Story program brings an extended investigation into the conflicts between 4 tribes from a small community in the north of the country, caught in a spiral of revenge.
From suspected criminal events that filed the last victim in police files, to serial assassinations.
How conflicts over dirty businesses mix with blood feuds.
Are the assassinations between the powerful families of Rrëshen part of the same series or are they different conflicts?
Was Kristjan Bardhi ambushed by Vlora gangs?
On the afternoon of the crime, the victim had left Tirana, according to his partner's testimony. There, he had arranged to meet with a person, details of which were revealed from the victim's phone, which was examined by the investigation team. His partner had no knowledge of the exact motive for the trip.
Kristjan informed me that he would be traveling to Vlora on the day of the event, but he did not tell me what the reason was, or who he would be meeting.
It is believed that the victim, a father of a minor child, has been under surveillance since he left the capital when he rented a car. The investigation team suspects that Kristjan Marku may have been ambushed.
"Taking into account the knowledge that criminal groups have about the enmity they have between each other, they have set up ambushes to make it possible to eliminate and cleanse the territory for their own use," said lawyer Alfred Bari.
"In this case, the legal qualification of the offense is provided as being related to the preparation of the conditions for committing a murder and of course there are predetermined criminal penalties and sanctions. It is important to be careful whether we are dealing with preparation or attempts," said former prosecutor Eugen Beci.
Kristjan Marku was a member of the well-known Bardhi tribe in Rrëshen. Nephew of Martin Bardhi, one of the strongmen of the area, executed on September 26, 2023, in his own bar. The police's strong suspicions regarding Kristjan's murder are related to the blood feud and old enmity of the Bardhis with the other well-known Reçi tribe.
Victim of the revenge saga between the Mirditore tribes, the young man has connections with the strongmen of Vlora
Kristjan Marku is a well-known name in Rrëshen, mainly due to his origin, the Bardhi tribe and the sworn enmity with the Reçi family. An enmity that has caused numerous victims and a murder saga that continues to this day. Opponents suspected that the deceased was active in revenge plans against rival tribes.
The 30-year-old had established his own family life. He lived with his partner in Tirana. He was the father of a minor child. However, there is information that the young man was also friends with the aforementioned elements of the criminal world.
After the crime, the Vlora prosecution contacted the prosecution in Mirdita, exchanging information in real time. There is information that in Vlora, he was friends with Inez Hajrulla, one of the strongmen of the area who inherited the leadership of Edison Harizaj's group. The strongman of Vlora was executed in Durrës in 2018. Hajrulla himself has survived several assassination attempts. In one case, a quantity of explosives exploded in the vehicle he was traveling in, leaving him disabled.
"Crime cooperates, there are connections between them. The moment certain interests are violated between members of criminal groups, the breakdown of these relationships automatically brings hostility between the parties," said Alfred Bari, lawyer.
'In reality, the theory of the criminal group implies the fact that, being a high form of cooperation, it is not created only to commit a criminal offense, but is created to commit several criminal offenses, and they must be serious,' said former prosecutor Eugen Beci.
Finally, the saga of revenge has been reignited between the groups of Vlora. However, it is not known whether the victim from Mirdita was implicated in the gang clashes in the area where he was assassinated. The clash between the groups of Inez and that of the Sinomati brothers is known in the coastal city but no incident has been solved.
But let's get back to the Novosela incident. Despite the victim's friendships in the area, there is no information about Kristjan Bardhi alias Marku's involvement in the clashes between groups there.
This has led the Vlora Prosecution to focus heavily on the victim's past, the clashes between his family members in his hometown, in Rrëshen. What is being verified are the suspicions that someone ambushed him. The prosecution has sent the victim's phone for expertise. A full investigation and the acquisition of old communications are expected to understand more about his contacts.