Albanian migrant gang moved to Britain for a better life and launched a £1m UK wide burglary spree against wealthy homeowners
An Albanian gang has admitted carrying out a spate of £1million raids on mansions across the UK, including those in the millionaire village of Prestbury, Cheshire — home to numerous Premier League footballers. The five men targeted wealthy householders during a string of 44 late night burglaries, with officers recovering 13 designer handbags and 14 luxury watches worth almost £17,000. Other photographs released by Cheshire police show scales topped with gold jewellery and giant wads of banknotes. One of the gang started a relationship with a British woman and began swapping messages with her saying they were like the US outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.
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Five men plead guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property
Endrit Nikolli, 27, George Lleshaj, 31, Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, who live together in Walsall, all pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property, during separate hearings at Chester Crown Court. Fellow gang members Kristian Gropcaj, 30, of Birmingham, and Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, also pleaded guilty to the same two offences. Nikolli's girlfriend Jade Tubb, aged 33, of Walsall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess criminal property. Police who trapped the gang following a huge ten-month investigation recovered a picture of one of the burglars defiantly posing with wads of cash and holding some of the stolen watches. Albanian gang members (l-r) Endrit Nikolli, 27, George Lleshaj, 31, Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property, during separate hearings at Chester Crown Court. Fellow gang members (l-r) Kristian Gropcaj, 30, and Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, pleaded guilty to the same offences - all five men are due to be sentenced in February. The burglary gang's loot included an array of stolen luxury watches from the mansions they plundered. Pictured: Sidorjan Lleshi brandishing a large number of the timepieces. Other photos showed two gang members, wearing hoods, hats and mask to cover their faces, posing with a stolen safe and a giant sledgehammer. The five Albanians had emigrated to the British mainland despite some of them apparently leading affluent lifestyles in their native country. Social media shots have emerged of them enjoying a party lifestyle in Albania. One member posted images of sightseeing trips to Monte Carlo, Paris and Milan while another showed off standing beside a silver Mercedes and boasting: 'My car.' In one exchange Kristian Gropcaj, 30, posted: 'Yes life is terrible' to which 31-year old George Lleshaj responded: 'The free jam has gone viral - I'm so happy.'
Investigation, evidence and modus operandi
Police said the investigation against the gang began in October 2024 when detectives in Macclesfield became aware of a series of burglaries with similar modus operandi taking place across Cheshire. On each occasion the offenders would typically gain entry by using ladders to access first-floor windows and balconies. Once inside they would ransack the properties, stealing jewellery, designer handbags, watches and cash. Police then consulted with other forces which reported similar break-ins in their areas. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology was used to identify vehicles which were present at all of these incidents and discovered a red Ford Focus insured in Gropcaj's name had been seen during many of the incidents. Some of the luxury handbags recovered by Cheshire Police after the five burglars were apprehended. Two of the gang members, their faces covered, pose with a stolen safe and a large hammer. An image of a firearm resting on a table full of luxury goods and wads of banknotes, posted on Facebook by Albanian gang member Sidorjan Lleshi. Some of the stolen cash recovered by Cheshire Constabulary during the gang's arrest. Scales weigh jewellery stolen from luxury mansions during the gang's burglary spree.
DNA traces, raids and the hunt across forces
Telephone checks subsequently conducted on Gropcaj revealed he had been in regular contact with three other suspects and they would regularly meet at a coffee shop in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. Traces of DNA from one of the gang was found at the scene of a burglary in Staffordshire. The gang were detained during raids carried out on July 2 last year at addresses in Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham. Several mobile phones were also recovered during the warrants, and through analysis officers recovered hundreds of images of the stolen items, along with messages which contained links to Google maps which correlated with the scene of the burglaries. Officers estimated the total value of the items stolen was in excess of £1million but while some items have been recovered, the vast majority have been sold on.
Lifestyle and the Bonnie and Clyde fantasy
Today social media shots have emerged of them enjoying a party lifestyle in Albania. One member posted images of sightseeing trips to Monte Carlo, Paris and Milan while another showed off standing beside a silver Mercedes and boasting: 'My car.' In one exchange Kristian Gropcaj, 30, posted: 'Yes life is terrible' to which 31-year old George Lleshaj responded: 'The free jam has gone viral - I'm so happy.'
Police reaction and the prosecutor’s assessment
Detective Sergeant Laura Fox, of Cheshire Police, said: 'This was a high-level organised crime gang responsible for at least 44 high-value burglaries across the UK. All were carefully orchestrated, with the gang researching their targets before committing their crimes, even expanding their crime spree across multiple forces in an effort to go undetected. The gang specifically targeted wealthy victims, with the aim of stealing as much high value property as possible. Between them, they even set weekly targets for the amount of gold that they wanted to steal. It has been clear that the gang had absolutely no regard for the impact that their offences would have on the victims. Instead they regularly gloated about their crimes and shared images of ill-gotten gains.'
