Will PLOWAY: Zrvenec Lands and Arthur Shehu's ties to Albania's best-known narcoticsmen

The JCKKO established the preventative sequentine above 128.3m euros under investigations related to the Gervenec case.

According to the document provided, much of the seized sum -- 110.2m euros -- is linked to the contract of April 24th 2026 between Arthur Shehuu and the company “Albian Land Development” sh.k.

The other two transactions worth 10m euros and 8m euros are linked to Ferdinand Suljan and Burbuke Suljan, also in contractual relations with the same company. In total, the value of blocked funds amounts to 128.3m euros.

In the file, property in Ackerni and Zvenec is said to result initially registered in the name of his heirs and then in the name of Arthur Shehu himself.

In the full file provided by Periscope [panting at the end of the article]It turns out that this alleged criminal group, during the period 2018-2021, had held frequent meetings in Aruba, Spain, Monaco, Germany, between traffickers and businessmen, where businessman Arthur Shehu appears to have a key role in coordinating operations on drug trafficking, cocaine trafficking logistics in Latin America, transactions with lands in the capital and the coast, as well as development projects for towers and tourist resorts.

“These meetings seem to concern real estate projects in Albania, potentially financed with illegal funds, with the support of political authorities”, the file says.

Initially, money was transported physically to Albania through the Hauala system. Then came property manipulation, mainly by counterfeiting historical documents, as in the case of lands in Zvrinec.

The prosecution has recorded massive counterfeitings with land on the coast and the laundering of international cocaine traffic money at towers under construction in Tirana and other development projects, including lands in Zvrinec, where the highly talked resort is expected to be built.

How did the Zrvenec protests begin in Albania?

Zrvenec protests have erupted in Albania during May and June 2026, following objections to a major tourist project designed to take place in the protected Pesha area - Poro Sureer and in the vicinity of Zvrnec, near Vlora.

The project, linked to international investors and reported by the media as supported by US businessman Jared Kouchner, has sparked strong reactions from local residents, environmental organisations and civil society. Project opponents claim the planned construction risks one of Albania's most important coastal ecosystems, located in the Laguna of Narta, flamingos habitat and hundreds of other protected species.

Activists have also raised concerns about restricting public access to beaches and lack of transparency in the country's tourist development process.

Another element that has fuelled the protests are residents' claims of property disputes in the Zvrnec area.

Some local families have claimed that the developing land is the subject of judicial processes and that its ownership continues to dispute.

These claims have become part of the public debate and have attracted international media attention. The protests, first organised in Zvrinec and later in Tirana, have gradually turned into a wider civic movement.

Protesters have called for cancellation of the project, protection of protected areas and more transparency in relations between the government and strategic investors.

Flags like “have been used in protests held in the capital Albania is not for sale” and “Annulon project”, while thousands of citizens have participated in successive marches.

On the other hand, Albania's prime minister, Edi Rama, has defended the project, arguing it will bring major investments, jobs and economic development to the area, denying there will be irreversible damage to the environment.

Today, the Zvrnec issue is considered one of the biggest political, environmental and property debates in Albania, putting together the interests of economic development, environmental protection and property rights.

Will PLODAY