Albania’s Special Prosecution Office Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) has seized assets worth 77 million Albanian lek, approximately €800,000, in an investigation into an alleged international drug trafficking and money laundering network associated with the Çopja criminal group. The seized assets include a company, 25 vehicles and land in Tirana.
Albanian authorities have seized assets valued at approximately €800,000 as part of an ongoing investigation into a suspected international drug trafficking organization allegedly connected to the Çopja brothers, Franc and Hajdar Çopja.
The Special Prosecution Office announced the seizure on Thursday, October 22, following a parallel financial investigation into assets suspected of having been acquired with proceeds from criminal activity.
According to SPAK, the Special Court of First Instance ordered the preventive seizure of movable and immovable property registered in the names of two individuals identified by their initials, A.Ç. and F.C., as well as assets connected to them.
The decision, dated October 14, 2026, covers property with a combined estimated value of 77 million lek.
Company, 25 Vehicles and Land Seized
The seized assets include a 2,000-square-meter plot of agricultural land in Sharrë, near Tirana, and the entire ownership stake in the commercial company Check Company Sh.p.k., located on Dibra Street in the Albanian capital.
The company owns 25 vehicles: 24 Volkswagen vehicles, including models such as the ID.3, ID.4 and Ioniq 5 cited in reports, and one Toyota bZ3.
Investigators suspect that the assets were acquired using proceeds generated through drug trafficking and related criminal activities.
The preventive seizure is part of an ongoing investigation and does not, by itself, establish that the assets were obtained illegally. The allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings.
Investigation Targets an International Cocaine Trafficking Network
SPAK is investigating 16 individuals in connection with the criminal proceedings, which include suspected drug trafficking, money laundering, participation in a structured criminal group and criminal offenses committed through an organized criminal organization.
According to prosecutors, the suspected network operated internationally and cooperated with other criminal groups to facilitate the transportation of narcotics to major European ports.
Investigators allege that profits from the operation were invested in real estate and businesses in Albania and abroad.
The investigation has involved cooperation with Europol and law enforcement authorities in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.
A significant part of the investigation relied on the analysis of encrypted communications obtained from the Sky ECC platform, which has been used in numerous European investigations into organized crime.
According to SPAK, investigators identified the alleged roles of individual members of the network and traced transfers of money believed to have originated from criminal activities.
Multi-Ton Cocaine Shipments to European Ports
The investigation uncovered evidence concerning large shipments of cocaine transported from Latin America to major ports in the European Union, including Hamburg in Germany and Antwerp in Belgium.
Albanian media reports on the broader case have cited allegations involving approximately 28 tonnes of cocaine across two separate shipments, with 17 tonnes reportedly seized by authorities.
The investigation forms part of wider international efforts to dismantle organized criminal networks involved in drug trafficking, financial crime and the laundering of proceeds through legitimate businesses.
Prosecutors suspect that the network used commercial activities and property investments to conceal the origins of illicit funds.
Criminal Rivalries and the Çopja Network
The alleged criminal group has also been associated with a violent rivalry involving another organized crime network in the Elbasan region of central Albania.
Between 2018 and 2023, the conflict reportedly involved a series of attacks and retaliatory killings.
The confrontation contributed to years of violence in the region and attracted the attention of Albanian and international investigators.
The group’s alleged leaders have faced proceedings outside Albania. Franc Gergely, also known as Franc Çopja, was arrested in Dubai and extradited to Belgium, where he faces charges related to murder, according to Albanian media reports. Hajdar Çopja has also been linked to the wider investigation.
The current asset seizure represents another step in efforts to identify and restrict access to wealth that prosecutors suspect was generated through organized criminal activity.
Financial Investigation Continues
SPAK’s announcement underscores the importance of financial investigations alongside criminal prosecutions. By identifying businesses, vehicles, real estate and financial transfers linked to suspects, authorities aim to prevent the potential movement or disposal of assets while proceedings continue.
The latest seizure does not conclude the investigation, and the individuals involved retain the right to challenge the allegations through the judicial process.
Authorities have not announced a final court determination regarding the ownership or criminal origin of the seized assets.
