Latest news with #Cela
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
The rapid downfall of Albania's most-feared drug gang
The Cela-Çopja clan was one of Europe's most powerful crime syndicates whose decisions dictated the price of cocaine across the continent. Masterminded by its ringleaders Franc Çopja, 33, and Ervis Cela, 41, the Albanian gang smuggled billions of pounds worth of cocaine from Latin America into EU ports. It then laundered its assets through a sprawling commercial empire that included vast tracts of real estate, a five-star tourist resort, villas and apartments. The drug lords amassed such vast quantities of cash that they even bickered on whether it was best to hide the banknotes under the roots of olive trees or convert them into gold bullion. But in the space of just days, the cartel saw its operation brought to its knees with Çopja and Cela arrested alongside their senior lieutenants and its assets seized by SPAK – Albania's anti-corruption and organised crime taskforce. In March 2021, investigators infiltrated Sky ECC, an encrypted messaging service, laying bare their alleged crimes. Cela, who was wanted in Italy for torturing and murdering a rival Albanian pimp, was arrested alongside two of his brothers and eight other conspirators in a series of lightning raids in June and August. Copja had been arrested in Belgium in Dec 2023 and is on trial for murder after being extradited from his mansion in Dubai. He is considered the logistical brain behind the operation, securing the transfer of cocaine through ports in northern Europe. 'This criminal organisation can be considered one of the most powerful Albanian organisations in the international cocaine trade,' Altin Dumani and Vladimir Mara, prosecutors, said in a joint statement. 'It had the capacity to directly influence the price of cocaine in European markets and to manage large quantities of the narcotic substance in short periods of time,' they added. The cartel is said to have controlled the entire chain of cocaine trafficking – from production and processing in laboratories in Paraguay, to international transport and distribution in European markets, and finally to the laundering and circulation of illicit proceeds in Albania and other countries. A share of the group's cocaine is believed to have been trafficked across the English Channel to the UK where, according to the National Crime Agency, Albanian-speaking criminal gangs control a sizeable portion of its lucrative market. A kilo of cocaine in the UK is estimated to be worth £40,000 compared to £20,000 in Europe. According to Europol, Europe's police agency, Sky ECC was widely used for criminal purposes, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and the distribution of child sexual abuse material. Although Sky ECC has been shut down, hundreds of millions of encrypted messages remain available and have been examined by law enforcement authorities across Europe and beyond for years. A 282-page-long indictment issued on Aug 8 by SPAK, and seen by The Telegraph, reveals how the gang allegedly attempted to transport 28 tonnes of cocaine hidden in boxes of soap, cans of paint or industrial glue from Paraguay into the ports of Hamburg and Antwerp between 2020 and 2021. On Feb 12 2021, 16.4 tonnes of high-purity cocaine stashed in 1,700 tins of wall putty, with an estimated street value of £3bn, was seized at the ports and was, at the time, the largest seizure of cocaine in Europe's history. Another shipment, which successfully passed through the port of Antwerp in 2020, was worth £1.3bn. The group developed a sophisticated system for transferring illicit drug trafficking proceeds from Europe to Albania, including the use of couriers for cash transfers and a so-called 'hawala' network, enabling the circulation of hundreds of millions of euros in cash. Cela is said to have orchestrated the operation while on the run in Paraguay. In one exchange on Dec 12 2020, Cela told Çopja that he planned to bury his euros in the roots beneath his grove of 200 olive trees in Albania. However, Çopja warned that notes would rot underground and encouraged him to convert them into gold bullion. 'I have to rob a bank' Cela replied: 'There's no gold... I have to rob a bank... I have to order it from Africa.' Çopja said: 'I know somebody who can procure it [the gold] for us.' 'Ask him, whatever he has, 100/200 kilos,' replied Cela. The conversation later drifted toward luxury watches and farmland. By late afternoon the same day, Cela outlined plans to buy two farms for £10m in Paraguay, an investment that, by his estimate, would yield £1.8 million a year. In a separate conversation with his brother over Sky ECC in Nov 2020, Cela wrote that £800,000 owed by one of their traffickers was delayed 'due to a downturn in the UK market'. Cela had spent 11 years on the run before his arrest in the seaside village of Qeparo on the southern coast of Albania on June 29. Along with his brother Ardian and accomplice Hiseni Fatos, he had been convicted in Italy of murdering Petrit Keci in Sept 2008 who had tried to muscle in on the group's prostitution ring in San Benedetto del Tronto. The trio was convicted of beating Keci and shooting him six times in the head before burning his remains in an attempt to conceal the crime. Cela was sentenced to 30 years in prison. His brother received 18 years. The pair, however, managed to appeal the sentence and were held in pre-trial detention, but the time limit on the detention expired before they were re-convicted and they were released in May 2014, giving them the chance to flee abroad and lose themselves in the criminal underworld. Cela will now have to serve a 21-year prison sentence for murder, kidnapping, attempted hiding of a corpse, threats, illegal possession of explosives and ammunition as well as obstruction of justice on top of any convictions he receives for drug smuggling and related offences. One of the more stand-out assets seized by SPAK was the opulent 'Ajman Park' resort in Shijak, a town 27 kilometres west of the capital Tirana. On its still active website, the hotel offers '24 hour security' for those who wish to rent its Greco-Roman style 'Marvel Palace' for wedding functions or dine at its Sushi and Steakhouse restaurant. The seizures marked a rare intervention by Albanian authorities who have almost never launched investigations into the origins of the large-scale capital flowing into the country's tourism and construction sectors.
National Post
16-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- National Post
8 skincare brands to watch right now
Article content Article content Cela Article content Why we love it: Not only founded in Canada, each of the brand's products use ingredients (mostly) sourced from and made on home soil, too. Each product is designed to protect and soothe the skin from our harsh Northern climate. The 'Céla Complex', the basis of most products is a blend of blueberry, elderberry, evening primrose, juniper berry, rosemary and lavender — six botanical extracts found in Canada. When combined correctly, these ingredients protect against environmental factors while bringing out our skin's natural glow. Check out our Q&A with Cela's founder to learn more. Article content Article content Article content Article content Why we love it: This female-founded brand is backed by celebrity endorsements from the likes of Paris Hilton, Lisa Rinna and Christine Chiu. Using non-toxic ingredients and recyclable packaging, the brand is committed to supporting sustainable practices, using 100 per cent green energy in their manufacturing plants as well as planting one tree for every product bought through a partnership with non-profit One Tree Planted. U Beauty's proprietary (patent-pending) SIREN technology is a mode of encapsulation that claims to deliver anti-aging ingredients to the skin in a unique way, offering optimal efficacy. Article content Article content Lontreau Article content Why we love it: Another skincare brand born in Canada, Lontreau's line of endurance skincare products was created for athletes by an athlete. The founder challenged herself to strive for the ultimate in clean standards, with each product formulated to the Credo Beauty Clean Standard — considered by many to be the industry benchmark. The products are tailored for people on the move, with unique serums that harness the power of antioxidants to protect against common environmental factors faced by fitness fanatics. Ultimately, whether you consider yourself an active person or not — these products will make your skin feel nourished and hydrated.
Scottish Sun
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Gangster jailed for plotting to blow up a football stadium has lost his bid to stay in Britain — but is still here
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A GANGSTER jailed for plotting to blow up a football stadium has lost his bid to stay in Britain — but is still here. Maksim Cela, 59, claimed returning to Albania would put him at risk from rivals. 1 Gangster Maksim Cela has lost his bid to stay in Britain — but is still here His claims were thrown out by a judge on Friday after a two-year fight costing taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds. But the crook, who arrived in 2023, five days after serving a sentence for murder and terrorism in Albania, has not left and launched yet another appeal. Cela argued sending him home breached European human rights laws. But Judge Jeremy Rintoul of the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber said: 'I do not accept that the appellant has told the truth about the nature of the threats. 'I find that the appellant's refusal to acknowledge guilt weighs heavily against him.' Cela was jailed in Albania for masterminding the murder of a crime-busting police officer and plotting to bomb a football stadium. In his legal battle, he claimed the elderly mum of the dead officer might seek revenge. He was named as the mafia boss in the case only after The Sun fought for 23 months to overturn an anonymity order. Sources last night confirmed Cela was still in the UK and had lodged another legal appeal. The Home Office said: 'Foreign nationals who commit heinous crimes should be in no doubt we will do everything to make sure they are not free on Britain's streets.' It remained unclear last night where Cela was living — but he can remain here while his appeal is being prepared.
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Gangster jailed for plotting to blow up a football stadium has lost his bid to stay in Britain — but is still here
A GANGSTER jailed for plotting to blow up a football stadium has lost his bid to stay in Britain — but is still here. Advertisement 1 Gangster Maksim Cela has lost his bid to stay in Britain — but is still here His claims were thrown out by a judge on Friday after a two-year fight costing taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds. But the crook, who arrived in 2023, five days after serving a sentence for murder and terrorism in Albania, has not left and launched yet another appeal. But Judge Jeremy Rintoul of the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber said: 'I do not accept that the appellant has told the truth about the nature of the threats. Advertisement 'I find that the appellant's refusal to acknowledge guilt weighs heavily against him.' In his legal battle, he claimed the elderly mum of the dead officer might seek revenge. He was named as the mafia boss in the case only after The Sun fought for 23 months to overturn an anonymity order. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Sources last night confirmed Cela was still in the UK and had lodged another legal appeal. The Home Office said: 'Foreign nationals who commit heinous crimes should be in no doubt we will do everything to make sure they are not free on Britain's streets.' It remained unclear last night where Cela was living — but he can remain here while his appeal is being prepared. Inside the TikTok Job Centre used by Albanian crimelords to advertise £100,000-a-year drug dealer jobs
Telegraph
31-03-2025
- Telegraph
Football stadium bomb plotter appeals to stay in UK ‘because Albanian gangs will kill me'
A convicted terrorist who planned to bomb a football stadium is appealing against his deportation because he will be 'executed for revenge' by rival gangsters if returned to Albania. Maksim Cela, 59, travelled to the UK on a fake passport to be with his family after serving 23 years in jail for killing a policeman and other gang-related activities in the Balkan country, an immigration tribunal heard. The Albanian claims 'terrifying gang groups' will come after him to resolve a 'blood feud' if he is not allowed to stay. Home Office lawyers say he is a 'violent terrorist' who should be deported. At an upper-tier immigration tribunal in central London on Monday, Cela said he was wrongly convicted of the crimes, and that his prosecution had been politically motivated. Lawyers for the Home Office said he invented the story after learning that his serious offending meant he would not be able to claim asylum. Cela claimed he used to be a businessman, running a car dealership business in Germany, as well as having worked in a dental clinic and a hospital. But the tribunal heard he was a 'violent terrorist' who planned to detonate a bomb at a 12,000-seat football stadium in 2000. After the plot came to light in 2001, an Albanian court jailed him for five years. He was sentenced to 25 years jail in September 2006 for 'participation in criminal organisations', the murder of a police officer, and the manufacture and illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, the tribunal was told. He was released in December 2022, having served more than 23 years of his 25-year sentence. In December 2022 he left Albania for Spain, travelled to Italy and then flew to the UK on what he admitted was a false passport, arriving at Heathrow in January 2023. When he was initially interviewed by the Home Office, Cela claimed that 'three terrifying gang groups' were 'coming after' him and his family because he was a member of the 'Lushnje gang', the tribunal heard. Changing his story A letter to the Home Office written on his behalf said rival gang members would 'execute him for revenge' if he returned to Albania. Cela has since changed his story, Home Office lawyers have said, claiming he was never really a member of the gang but had been set up. 'It was politically motivated,' said Cela, who represented himself at the hearing and spoke through an interpreter. 'I was merely a businessman,' he added. The Albanian told the tribunal there were four attempts to kill him while he was in prison. The Home Office said he had exaggerated the threat from rival gangs, and could get protection from the Albanian authorities or relocate to another area of the country should he be deported. Paul Skinner, representing the Home Office, asked Cela: 'It's right that you are someone who does and says whatever you want in order to get what you want, isn't it? 'You really want to be in the UK to be with your wife and daughter and you are willing to do whatever it takes in order to stay. 'The Albanian state is taking steps to obviate the risks that Mr Cela may face.' Cela's asylum claim was rejected by a judge at the first-tier immigration tribunal, but a separate claim that his life was at risk from rival gangs was accepted. His claim was based on the European Convention on Human Rights' Article Three which prohibits 'torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment'. After an appeal by the Home Office, a panel of judges set aside the ruling, finding that there had been an 'error of law'. The upper-tier tribunal will now make a decision on whether Cela can stay.
