
Details from the arrest of 3 other persons signed by the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime within the coded operation 'Flame at sea'.
The operation undertaken last year led to the arrest of a Commissioner of Kurbin, Dritan Metaj, who was accused of collaborating with the so-called 'drug lord', Gëzim Çela and other members of the group based in Fushë Kuqe of Kurbin.
The persons identified as Alket Deda , Xenofon Bodo and Selami Lushkaj have fallen into handcuffs.
Former policeman Amarildo Ismailukaj was discovered in the wiretaps for his frequent communications with the boatman Arben Dalipajn (the only one who managed to escape on August 15) and is still wanted.
SPAK notice:
Following the procedural actions, in relation to criminal proceedings no. 185, of 2023, in the framework of which, the police operation dated 15.08.2023, named "Flame at sea", where an attempt was made to traffic a significant amount of narcotics through the sea, the Special Court of First Instance First for Corruption and Organized Crime, with decision no. 46, dated 29.04.2024, has accepted the request of the Special Prosecutor's Office, for setting the security measure for the persons under investigation Alket Deda, Xenofon Bodo, Selami Lushkaj.
As persons suspected of committing the criminal offenses "Trafficking of narcotics", carried out in cooperation within the framework of a structured criminal group, "Structured criminal group" and "Commitment of criminal offenses by a criminal organization and a structured criminal group", provided from articles 283/a, 333/a and 334 of the Criminal Code.
The security measures against the persons under investigation, Alket Deda, Xenofon Bodo, Selami Lushkaj, were executed by the Judicial Police Officers at the General Directorate of the State Police, on 30.04.2024.
During the execution of the decision on the assignment of security measures, control was exercised in several residences and commercial entities.
Scheme of traffickers in Fushë Quqe:
The police in cooperation with SPAK had information about a possible exchange in the open sea in the area of Patok.
Former policeman Amarildo Ismailukaj was discovered in the wiretaps for his frequent communications with the boatman Arben Dalipajn (the only one who managed to escape on August 15).
Ismailukaj rented out the rafts used to transport hashish and in exchange received cocaine, which was brought from Cape Rodon by 2 Ukrainians (arrested), the exchange took place during the day, in the open sea. After the exchange was made, the skier Dalipaj went to deliver the exchanged drug (i.e. cocaine) to the 'Royal Blue' restaurant owned by Nderim Çela, the grandson of Gëzim Çela, who also has a resort in this area. Afterwards, Ismailukaj went to the restaurant to get the rafts. The police found 10,000 euros in the dashboard of the car, which led them to suspect that the former policeman was also involved.
But while Gëzim Çelaj was on an international search, Dritan Metaj, the head of the Kurbin police station, despite knowing where the 'drug lord' was, accompanied him and the other traffickers by car. The police intervened after they made the exchange at sea, as soon as they spotted the Ukrainians, they set fire to the cannabis, while the skier Dalipaj with the nickname 'Kapelja' escaped, it is suspected that he also took the cocaine.
Who is Gëzim Çela?
From a Special Forces officer before 1997 where there were suspicions that he led a small gang, Gëzim Çelaj was later recognized as the "boss of drug trafficking" from Turkey, through Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania, towards Kosovo and Western countries. He allegedly used his villa in Fushë Kuqe for this traffic.
In June 2014, the Albanian and Kosovar police hit a group that trafficked hard drugs from Turkey to Western Europe, also through Albanian territory. At the border point of Morin in Kukës, Erald Hysolli was arrested with 7 kilograms of cocaine.
He played the role of the courier he had received in Pristina, where 3 people were arrested red-handed with 50 kilograms of cocaine and heroin.
However, during the controls at Gezim Çela's villa in Fushë Kuqe of Mamurras, 18 kg of heroin, 150 kg of cannabis sativa, 9 guns, 3 snipers, grenades and armored cars, 20 canisters of acetone and 500 liters of mixer were found. Çela had turned the family's villa into a laboratory for mixing drugs. At that time, the police accompanied his brother Kujtim Çela. Gëzim Çela was also arrested later.
He was released by the Albanian court with the argument that he was suffering from a serious illness. He was then arrested for falsifying the medical card and was placed under "house arrest". But when the police went to his house he was not there. For Çela, there is a sentence from the Italian courts with 11 years in prison and a 150,000 euro fine, for drug trafficking.
In the meantime, Çela continued his activity unperturbed. The group where he was convicted for the first time, became very popular, after the arrest of Valentina Tufina, known as "Cocaine's Aunt".