Operation "Autumn", finalized by the Saranda Police after a several-month investigation, has led to the arrest of 20 people, among them 49-year-old Altin Arapi , also known as Altin Demiri and with the nickname "Boraqi".
Arapi is considered one of the people with extensive activity in the field of cocaine distribution in Saranda.
Arap's name has been in the attention of police structures for years and he is suspected of being part of investigations into narcotics activity in the Saranda area.
According to the same sources, tracking him down has been difficult due to suspicions that Arapi may have had prior information about police operations.
One of the episodes mentioned in his history is that of January 20, 2022, when the police intervened to control him.
According to data made public at the time, no narcotics were found during the search, and he was arrested for resisting police officers.
His name was also mentioned in another investigation in May 2025, following the case of a 15-year-old girl who arrived at Saranda Hospital in an intoxicated state, after allegedly consuming about 5 grams of cocaine.
Arapi was one of the people questioned as part of the verifications regarding this event.
The latest arrest is not the first time the 49-year-old has faced the justice system.
About eight years ago, he was arrested in Tirana along with two other people from Saranda, after a quantity of cocaine was found on him. For this incident, he spent several months in prison.
In January 2021, Arap's name was also mentioned after a police intervention in Delvinë. In that case, a person was escorted for questioning after the police received information that he might be involved in a conflict with Arap. The escort was carried out as a preventive measure.
Other detainees with criminal records
In addition to Arap, among the people arrested in the framework of Operation "Autumn" are also several citizens with previous criminal records.
Feliks Filija, 27, is one of the names involved in the operation. He is mentioned as a friend of Elvis Çaushllari, known as “Vis Korçari”. Filija was arrested in 2020 in Elbasan for the criminal offenses of “intentional murder”, attempted and committed in collaboration, as well as “unlicensed possession of weapons”.
Medi Myftaraj , 35, was arrested in September 2017 in Skrapar, after being sentenced by the Vlora Court to 3 years and 4 months in prison for "production and sale of narcotics". During a search of his apartment, about 500 grams of cannabis sativa were found. In March 2023, he was arrested again in Ksamil, where another quantity of narcotics was found.
Fabjo Berhamaj, 30, was extradited from Germany in 2016 after being sentenced by the Fier Court to 7 years in prison for "production and sale of narcotics". He also has a precedent in Saranda for "illegal border crossing".
Devis Saliaj , 22, was stabbed on June 6, 2025, in the “Eukalipsi” area of Saranda. He had been arrested earlier, in September 2023, in the Kodra e Diellit area of Tirana, as part of a group suspected of distributing cannabis sativa and cocaine. Saliaj was arrested again in Tirana in December 2025.
Erjon Dido , 41, known by the nickname "Macistja", was arrested in October 2018 in Saranda, after a quantity of cannabis sativa was found on him and he was prosecuted for "production and sale of narcotics". In December 2024, he was prosecuted again as part of a group.
Dhimitri Terolli , 33 years old, known by the pseudonym "Miço Evgjiti", has several previous encounters with the Police, mainly for the criminal offense of "theft". In one case, he was also prosecuted for "intentional minor injury".
Nazif Refitaj , 24 years old, was arrested in 2021 in Patos for the criminal offense of "theft committed in collaboration".