Albanian gang plead guilty to £1million burglary series

They've been linked to at least 44 high-value burglaries across the UK

Mugshots of the gang
Author: Natalia AntoniwPublished 7th Jan 2026
Last updated 7th Jan 2026

Five Albanian men and a British woman have pleaded guilty to offences in connection with a series of burglaries across the UK.

The estimated value of items stole is over £1million, with the majority of them sold on.

An image from Gropcaj's phone

Cheshire Police started an investigation in October 2024, after a number of burglaries in the area.

The burglaries were linked to other incidents across the UK due to shoe prints left.

The gang were linked to at least 44 burglaries, they include:

  • Eight in Cheshire
  • Two in Cleveland
  • Nine in Derbyshire
  • Two in Leicestershire
  • Five in Nottinghamshire
  • Seven in Staffordshire
  • Two in Warwickshire
  • Nine in West Mercia

The court heard how the gang would typically break into houses using ladders to access windows and balconies

They stole jewellery, designer handbags, watches and cash.

Sidorjan Lleshi posing with stolen watches

The five men would often meet at a coffee shop in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham to discuss the burglaries.

They specifically targeted wealthy victims and even set weekly targets for the amount of gold they wanted to steal.

Endrit Nikolli, 27, pleaded guilty to:

  • conspiracy to commit burglary
  • conspiracy to possess criminal property
  • an additional count of burglary

Kristian Gropcaj, 30, pleaded guilty to:

  • conspiracy to commit burglary
  • conspiracy to possess criminal property

George Lleshaj, 31, pleaded guilty to:

  • conspiracy to commit burglary
  • conspiracy to possess criminal property

Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, pleaded guilty to:

  • conspiracy to commit burglary
  • conspiracy to possess criminal property

Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, pleaded guilty to:

  • conspiracy to commit burglary
  • conspiracy to possess criminal property
  • an additional count of burglary
Sidorjan Lleshi posing

Jade Tubb, 33, pleaded guilty to:

  • conspiracy to posses criminal property

The men have been remanded and will be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on 20th February.

Tubb has been released on bail but will be sentenced on the same date.

An image from Lleshi's phone

"they regularly gloated about their crimes and shared images of ill-gotten gains..."

Detective Sergeant Laura Fox, of Macclesfield Proactive CID said, “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."

He went on to say, “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."

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