The organised group, largely from Albania, focused luxurious properties for objects value a mixed £1 million.
Sidorjan Lleshi with bundles of money and (proper) being arrested (Picture: Cheshire Police)
An Albanian crime gang used Rightmove floorplans to meticulously plot dozens of high-value burglaries on rich UK properties, police mentioned, as 5 members have been jailed for a complete of greater than 38 years. The organised group, largely from Albania, focused luxurious properties throughout a number of counties, stealing jewelry, designer purses, watches and money value greater than £1million. They gained entry by climbing ladders to first-floor home windows and balconies earlier than ransacking the properties.
Kristian Gropcaj, 30, of Gasoline Road, Birmingham, was jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to commit housebreaking and a concurrent five-and-a-half years for conspiracy to own legal property. George Pepa, 31, and Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, each of Crabtree Highway, Walsall, every acquired 9 years for the housebreaking conspiracy, with concurrent phrases of 4-and-a-half and 5 years respectively for dealing with legal property.
Mugshots of the 5 males (Picture: Cheshire Police)
Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, of Durlstone Drive, Sheffield, was handed the longest time period — 10 years and 9 months for conspiracy to commit housebreaking, one depend of housebreaking and conspiracy to own legal property. 15 additional burglaries have been considered.
Jade Tubb, 33, additionally of Crabtree Highway, Walsall, and in a relationship with one other gang member, acquired a one-year jail sentence suspended for 2 years for possession of legal property.
A sixth man, Endrit Nikolli, 29, additionally of Crabtree Highway, Walsall, is because of be sentenced later this month.
The gang struck at the least 59 properties between March 2024 and March 2025, together with eight in Cheshire, 9 in Derbyshire, seven in Staffordshire, 5 in Nottinghamshire and others in Cleveland, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and West Mercia.
Detectives from Macclesfield Proactive CID launched the probe in October 2024 after a spate of break-ins in Macclesfield, Prestbury, Weston and Willaston. Offenders used ladders for upper-floor entry and centered on high-value objects.
A few of the stolen objects recovered (Picture: Cheshire Police)
Collaboration with Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire forces linked the crimes by matching footwear marks. ANPR cameras then noticed a crimson Ford Focus insured to Gropcaj and a rent automotive booked by Tubb at a number of scenes.
Telephone evaluation confirmed Gropcaj in common contact with Nikolli, Dedndreaj and Pepa, who met continuously at a Birmingham espresso store within the Jewelry Quarter. DNA from Nikolli was discovered at a Staffordshire housebreaking. Messages later revealed Lleshi because the sixth member.
Raids in July 2025 throughout Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham led to arrests, recovering 13 designer purses and 14 watches value almost £17,000. Telephones yielded a whole lot of photographs of stolen items and Google Maps hyperlinks pinpointing targets.
An extra raid in Sheffield in September netted Lleshi. A lot of the £1m-plus haul is believed to have been bought or melted down.
Detective Sergeant Laura Fox, of Macclesfield Proactive CID, mentioned the gang confirmed “completely no regard” for victims. She defined: “Nikolli, Gropcaj, Dedndreaj, Pepa and Lleshi have been all accountable for conducting the burglaries, whereas Tubb was joyful to spend their ill-gotten good points.”
Police exterior the property (Picture: Cheshire Police)
“They particularly focused rich victims, with the purpose of stealing as a lot high-value property as potential. Between them, they even set weekly targets for the quantity of gold that they wished to steal,” she added.
“All the incidents have been fastidiously orchestrated, with the gang researching their targets earlier than committing their crimes, even increasing their crime spree throughout a number of forces in an effort to go undetected.”
Detective Chief Inspector David Worthington, additionally of Macclesfield Proactive CID, revealed how the gang used on-line instruments: “They used Google and Rightmove to assist choose targets as Rightmove can embrace ground plans of properties, which is sort of shrewd.”
He warned: “As this case demonstrates, when you commit crime in Cheshire, you can be caught and you can be delivered to justice. Our officers are dedicated to travelling the size and breadth of the nation to make sure that those that trigger hurt in our communities are held accountable.”
DS Fox thanked accomplice forces for his or her assist within the months-long probe, noting the gang “repeatedly gloated about their crimes and shared pictures of ill-gotten good points”. All defendants pleaded responsible.
The sentences have been handed down at Chester Crown Court docket on 13 and 14 April 2026. Police hope the end result brings some closure to victims, lots of whom had their sense of safety shattered in their very own properties.
One sufferer from Macclesfield advised the court docket the burglaries had “shaken the inspiration and safety in our household”, affecting how they reside, sleep and really feel secure at dwelling.
The case underscores the rising sophistication of organised housebreaking gangs who exploit public property web sites for reconnaissance, turning open on-line information right into a legal playbook.
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