The 42-year-old Tirana man in Spain is arrested: The stethoscope safe opened up 1.2m euros in jewelry

It received jewelry worth 1.2m euros.

Spanish media say it's about a famous, intelligent, yet frightening robbery Shamir Hoxha, Albanian, 42-year-old.

Arrested by Spain's National Police on October 22, 2025.

At the time of his arrest, he carried one of his stolen jewelry and about 3,000 euros in cash around his neck.

The theft occurred on April 28, 2025, during a massive power outage that affected much of Spain, leaving shops and security systems without power.

This chaos facilitated the implementation of the plan, as the Plaza Norte 2 shopping center in San Sebastian de los Reyes (Madrid) was empty and electronic protection measures were not functioning.

Hoxha planned the robbery accurately, exploiting power outages to disable alarms, electronic locks and software anti-skilling systems.

The robbery only lasted four minutes, according to the security cameras. Here's the quick description of how he did it:

He climbed to the outer roof of the mall and made roof cuts just above silversmith José Luis, creating an entrance hole.

Internal penetration: Once inside, he removed the gipsy tablets to reach a technical corridor that connects shops. From there he made more holes in the walls to get directly into the past jewelry environment.

He got off the roof to the floor. Open window windows with a simple screwdriver, since electronic locks did not function because of lack of energy.

Empty all the jewels, receiving 2,200 jewelry, including an exclusive collection of diamonds. The garment, worth over 1m euros, was placed in a backpack.

He walked out of the shopping mall (was parking his secondhand car, bought months ago, away from the cameras).

The next day he fled to Romania, where he abandoned his vehicle. Police tracked it thanks to this vehicle and numerous entrances to Spain during the following months.

How was he caught?

Spain's National Police launched a deepening investigation after the robbery, analyzing images by the security cameras of Plaza Norte 2, which recorded the entire event in 4 minutes. Although power cuts deactivated many systems, reserve cameras caught suspicious movements.

The agents traced a second-hand vehicle (run away to avoid detection), which Hoxha had bought several months before the robbery.

This car was the key: he abandoned it in Romania a day after the robbery, but the license plates and its recorded movements linked it directly to crime. In international co-operation with Romanian and Albanian authorities, police monitored its cross-border movements for six months.

On October 22, 2025, Hoxha was located and arrested in Madrid by civilian agents. At that moment, she carried one of the stolen jewelry (a piece of gold with diamonds) and about 3,000 unwarranted euros.

Shortly thereafter, the judge ordered his detention at Soto del Real Prison, where he is awaiting trial.

So far, only that jewelry has been found; the rest of the spoil, worth over 1m euros, continues to be extinct, even though police believe some of it has been sold on the black market in Eastern Europe.

Who is Shamiri - the profile of a clever thief

Shamir Hoxha has been known for years for the European police forces.

From Tirana, Albania, he has spent years moving between Spain, Italy and France, always involved in serious economic crimes.

Its file includes bank robberies, jewelry trafficking and sophisticated fraud against technological companies. At 39 years of age, his appearance is not very obvious, but his reputation as an overly intelligent and metodic individual precedes it.

Several incidents about his criminal career have spread to the media and social media:

In 2021 he reportedly managed to open a safe in Milan using only one stethoscope and a flashlight.

In Paris, in 2023, he left a note on the wall of a stolen jewelry store: “Marre only what insurance takes back”.

He speaks five languages and usually changes his identity every six months.

His acquaintances say he never uses weapons; he prefers silent movements before violence.

How was the robbery committed?

The investigation showed Shamiri had been studying the Plaza Norte infrastructure for weeks.

Power outage, caused by a defect on the main electrical grid, left the entire shopping area without cameras and sensors.

The thief used a small portable generator for lighting and specialized equipment to open the safe door without causing visible damage.

Special Crimes Unit agents managed to trace his movements thanks to the images of the outside cameras and fingerprints found in a toolbox.

The arrest was carried out in the outskirts of Madrid, where Shammir was preparing the escape in a car with counterfeit license plates.

So far, police have recovered about 800,000 euros in cash and jewelry; however, part of the jewelry continues to be lacking.

The commissioner's chief has publicly acknowledged that “planning and execution of the robbery indicate an unusual level of professionalism within organised crime”.