Disclosure: How SHISH agents informed criminal groups in Britain and the murder of a member of the Kastrati clan

2023-03-11 16:20:16Fokus SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
How SHISH agents informed criminal groups in Britain Shocking revelation: How SHISH agents informed criminal groups in Britain

Agents of a British-funded Albanian secret service unit that fights organized crime have sold information to members of criminal groups. Information from wiretapping revealed by the undercover team codenamed "Merlin" led to the murder of a man as part of a conflict between rival drug lords in Albania, the 'Daily Mail' can reveal .

A whistleblower said at least two other Merlin agents sold classified information to the crime networks they were targeting. The shocking revelations come after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month pledged to spend more to fight illegal migration and organized crime from Albania.

"Merlin" was created within Albania's secret service, known as SHISH, in 2000 when gangs from the country first began operating in Great Britain. From the beginning it received most of its funding from the British taxpayer.

Its agents were trained by Great Britain and the department's activity was monitored by an officer based at the British embassy in Tirana. The 'Merlin' group was so secretive that even its existence remained unreported for 16 years until the murder of Denis Kasaj, a member of the Kastrati clan crime family, who was shot in a Mercedes by a hail of machine gun bullets. Check Scorpio.

Disclosure: How SHISH agents informed criminal groups in Britain and the murder
Denis Kasaj

 

Hitman Ilir Memushaj was jailed for 14 years in 2017 for the killing which detectives discovered was carried out at the behest of a rival crime clan, Binjaku, as part of a long-running family feud.

Both clans have established large drug networks across Europe, including Great Britain. The gunman's Blackberry phone had 12 photographs of transcribed phone calls marked 'secret' obtained by a Merlin agent through wiretapping operations. During these calls, the gangsters revealed details of the Mercedes, its passengers and exactly where it would be at the time of the shooting.

Disclosure: How SHISH agents informed criminal groups in Britain and the murder
Ilir Memushaj

A Merlin field agent later went on trial accused of being a double agent and selling state secrets to criminals. He was released after the judge ruled that it could not be proven beyond doubt that he had leaked the intelligence since other Merlin agents had access to the same information.

But the judge discovered that the information received from the Gemini clan had come from an agent in Merlin's service.

The judgment stated: "It has been established that the data obtained from the Blackberry device... are the same as those compiled by the criminal prosecution bodies for the transcription of telephone conversations resulting from the wiretapping."

The whistleblower, who works for SHISH, named two other agents who worked for Merlin but have since been moved or fired because of suspicions that they leaked information.

"Information from their department was sold to criminals, illegal wiretapping was done without the approval of prosecutors, with information taken on USB flash drives or as photos," the whistleblower said.

"I think the information is still flowing. If this did not happen, we could see more criminal organizations dismantled and more assets seized.'

He said working for Merlin is a 'dream job' for Albanian agents because of its unrivaled access to information and the extensive funding and support provided by the UK.

"There is a good salary compared to other departments and the new cars, including the Audi, were chosen by the head of Merlin, with the bills paid by the British embassy."

The agency has a director and four inspectors who work with other SHISH agents when they need support for an investigation.

Another former ShISH officer said: 'The Merlin Directorate has been under the constant care of the United Kingdom Embassy in Tirana. In one case when the director of SHISH wanted to replace the director of Merlin, the ambassador of the United Kingdom came several times to the headquarters of Shish opposing the decision. He was not replaced.'

He stressed that other Merlin officers were hardworking and honest and had carried out successful operations especially against drug trafficking.

A SHISH spokesman said the agency was 'considering' a response and then had no further comment.

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