Four Albanian men and a British woman have been sentenced to more than 38 years in prison for a series of high value burglaries across the UK, including in Willaston near Nantwich.
Kristian Gropcaj, 30, George Pepa, 31, Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, and Jade Tubb, 33, were sentenced at Chester Crown Court yesterday (April 13th) and today.
The investigation began in October 2024 when detectives became aware of a series of burglaries across the eastern area of Cheshire, including incidents Willaston, Weston, Macclesfield and Prestbury.
On each occasion the offenders gained entry using ladders to access first floor windows and balconies.
They ransacked properties, stealing jewellery, designer handbags, watches and cash.
Officers worked with other forces across the UK who reported similar incidents.
Detectives were able to link the incidents in Cheshire to several others across the UK through footwear marks left at the scenes.
They also used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles present at all of the incidents.
They discovered a red Ford Focus insured to Gropcaj had been present during many of the incidents. They also found a hire car booked by Tubb had been used during many of the other burglaries.
Telephone checks were subsequently conducted on Gropcaj which revealed he had been in regular contact with Nikolli, Dedndreaj, and Pepa.
Further enquiries revealed that the four men had been meeting on a regular basis at a coffee shop in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, and that Tubb was in a relationship with Nikolli.
Traces of DNA from Nikolli had also been found at the scene of a burglary in Staffordshire.
Police led a series of raids at addresses in Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, leading to the arrests of Nikolli, Pepa, Gropcaj and Tubb.
Dedndreaj was not present at the time of the warrants but was later arrested in Surrey by officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit at Cheshire Constabulary.
Officers recovered 13 designer handbags, along with 14 watches worth almost £17,000.
Several mobile phones were recovered during the warrants and hundreds of images of the stolen items were found.
Messages showed there was a sixth member of the gang – Sidorjan Lleshi, who was living in Sheffield. The 26-year-old was later arrested.
Through all of the evidence gathered, officers were able to link the gang to at least 59 burglaries across the UK.
The estimated total value of the items stolen is in excess of £1 million and while some items have been recovered, the vast majority are believed to have been sold on.
Dedndreaj, of Crabtree Road, Walsall jailed for 9 years for conspiracy to commit burglary and a concurrent sentence of 5 years for conspiracy to possess criminal property.
Pepa, of Crabtree Road, Walsall jailed for 9 years for conspiracy to commit burglary and a concurrent sentence of 4½ years for conspiracy to possess criminal property.
Lleshi, of Durlstone Drive, Sheffield, jailed for 10 years and 9 months for conspiracy to commit burglary, one count of burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property. An additional 15 counts of burglary were also taken into consideration.
Gropcaj, of Gas Street, Birmingham; jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to commit burglary and a concurrent sentence of 5½ years for conspiracy to possess criminal property.
Tubb, also of Crabtree Road, Walsall, sentenced to one year in prison suspended for two years, for possession of criminal property.
A sixth defendant 29-year-old Endrit Nikolli, of Crabtree Road, Walsall, is due to be sentenced on Wednesday 29 April.
Det Sgt Laura Fox, of Macclesfield Proactive CID said: “This investigation is a result of a detailed collaboration between forces across several months, with an unwavering commitment and tenacity to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
“Nikolli, Gropcaj, Dedndreaj, Pepa, Lleshi and Tubb were all members of a high-level organised crime gang responsible for at least 59 high value burglaries across the UK.
“All of the incidents 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.
“The gang specifically targeted wealthy victims, with the aim of stealing as much high value property as possible. Between them, they even set weekly targets for the amount of gold that they wanted to steal.
“Nikolli, Gropcaj, Dedndreaj, Pepa and Lleshi were all responsible for conducting the burglaries, while Tubb was happy to spend their ill-gotten gains.
“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.
“Thankfully, as a result of the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation, all six defendants had no option but to plead guilty to the charges and are now facing the consequences of their actions.”
Detective Chief Inspector David Worthington, of Macclesfield Proactive CID, added: “As this case demonstrates, if you commit crime in Cheshire, you will be caught and you will be brought to justice.
“Our officers are committed to travelling the length and breadth of the country to ensure that those who cause harm in our communities are held accountable for their actions.
“I hope that the sentencing of these offenders will provide some reassurance for the victims in this case and allow them to move forward with their lives.
“I also hope that this case acts as a warning to anyone else who is thinking of coming to Cheshire to commit crime.”
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