Albanian Flamur Sinanaj , known for years in the world of drug trafficking in Belgium , has been released from prison after a preliminary plea agreement was approved.
The agreement, considered one of the most important ever reached in a major drug trial in Belgium, was approved on Friday.
According to foreign media, Flamur S. pleaded guilty to the charges attributed to him and agreed to a sentence of five years in prison, of which two years are effective, as well as the payment of 1.5 million euros in favor of the Belgian state.
Shortly after the agreement was approved, he was released from prison, having already served two years in detention in Turkey and Belgium.
His lawyer, Johan Van Genechten, confirmed the agreement was reached, but did not provide further details regarding the negotiations with the federal prosecutor's office.
According to Belgian authorities, Flamur S. played a key role in the criminal organization of trafficker Flor Bressers. Known by the nickname “ Maradona ”, he is suspected of leading the so-called “digger” teams, which extracted cocaine shipments hidden in containers of manganese ore. He was also responsible for collecting large sums of money circulating within the network.
From the documents seized during the investigation, it appears that Flamur S. has collected around 17 million euros in payments in Belgium and the Netherlands.
This is not the first time he has faced justice. In 2010, he was sentenced to eight years in prison and a 27,500 euro fine as the head of a criminal organization that smuggled tens of kilograms of cocaine from South America to Europe via couriers.
In early 2025, Flamur S. was extradited from Turkey, where he had been hiding together with Sani Al Murdaa.
Both had secured Turkish citizenship and for a long time believed they were untouchable by the authorities. However, in 2024, Turkish authorities revoked their citizenship and arrested Flamur S., who was then transferred to Belgium.
After returning to Belgium, he authorized his lawyer to negotiate with the federal prosecutor's office, a process that ended with the agreement approved by the court.
Meanwhile, the Bressers trial will continue in September for the other defendants, while the case against Flamur S. is considered closed following the agreement reached with Belgian justice.
In parallel, in Albania, SPAK has seized assets suspected of being linked to Sinanaj, such as:
Apartment with an area of 76.5 m2, with the address “Muhamet Gjollesha” Street, Tirana, purchased according to the sales contract, for the value of 70,000 Euros;
Unit with an area of 163 m2, with address “Muhamet Gjollesha” Street, Tirana, acquired according to the sales contract, for the value of 280,000 Euros;
Apartment-type property, with a surface area of 123 m2, on “Reshit Petrela” Street, Tirana, purchased under a sales contract, for a value of 15,990,000 Lekë;
7 (seven) bank accounts in second-tier banks in a total amount of 660,854 Euros;
3 (three) bank accounts in second-tier banks in a total amount of 7,574,664 Lekë;
Water motor "Yamaha", type of sea motor "Jetski", year of manufacture 2016;
Used motorboat "Yamaha 242X Limited USA", year of manufacture 2017, length 7.45 m;
Vehicle, brand "GMC", model SIERRA SLT, type Truck, year of manufacture 2011;
Vehicle, brand "Mercedes Benz", model B180CDI, type 146, year of manufacture 2012.