A prolific Albanian burglary gang whose members brazenly shared photographs of stolen designer handbags and luxury watches whilst gloating about their crimes has been jailed for a combined 48 years following a sophisticated investigation linking them to at least 59 break-ins across eight English police force areas.
Chester Crown Court heard how Kristian Gropcaj, 30, received a 10-year sentence, whilst George Pepa, 31, and Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, were each jailed for nine years, with Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, receiving 10 years and nine months after all pleaded guilty to their roles in the £1 million-plus theft operation.
Endrit Nikolli, 27, awaits sentencing at a later date, whilst British accomplice Jade Tubb, 33, received a 12-month suspended sentence after admitting conspiracy to possess criminal property.
Detective Sergeant Laura Fox of Macclesfield CID emphasised the gang’s calculated approach: “These burglaries 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.”
“Throughout our investigation, 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,” DS Fox added.
The investigation—launched October 2024 following a series of east Cheshire burglaries—saw Derbyshire police collaborating with Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire colleagues to identify patterns through footwear marks linking multiple incidents.
Automatic number plate recognition proved crucial, with officers discovering a red Ford Focus insured by Gropcaj had been present at numerous burglary sites, whilst phone data revealed his regular contact with Nikolli, Dedndreaj and Lleshi.
The quartet frequently met at a Birmingham Jewellery Quarter coffee shop, with DNA traces from Nikolli subsequently found at a Staffordshire burglary scene.
Coordinated 2 July raids across Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham netted Nikolli, Lleshi, Gropcaj and Tubb, with Dedndreaj detained later in Surrey and Lleshi arrested at his Sheffield residence 3 September.
Officers recovered 13 designer handbags, 14 watches valued nearly £17,000, mobile phones containing Google Maps searches correlating to burglary locations, and evidence implicating Lleshi.
The gang typically accessed properties using ladders to enter first-floor windows or balconies before stealing jewellery, designer handbags, watches and cash, with CCTV capturing them hauling a safe over a garden fence during one raid.
A Macclesfield victim described the trauma: “The realisation that strangers had broken into our house while we were inside—just a floor away, was something I will never forget. We didn’t know if they were armed, how many people there were, or whether they would come downstairs, meaning we were forced to barricade ourselves in the lounge.”
The stolen items—estimated exceeding £1 million across Derbyshire, Cheshire, Cleveland, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia—were mostly sold on, though some property has been recovered.
