After 26 years on the run, cousins SA, 50, and SF, 47, both Albanian nationals, were arrested today in Albania. The two, definitively sentenced to 15 years in prison, had been wanted since 1999 for the murder and wounding of two fellow countrymen which took place in a square in Gricignano d'Aversa, in the province of Caserta.
The crime, committed in the city center, was characterized by brutal violence: the victims were hit with sticks and cutting weapons during an argument over the division of the proceeds of illegal activities. After the crime, the two managed to escape, disappearing into thin air and using false identities to escape justice.
The arrest is the result of a complex and detailed investigation, lasting about a year, conducted by the Central Operations Service and the Caserta Flying Squad, under the coordination of the Attorney General's Office at the Court of Appeal of Naples. The investigative activities saw close collaboration between Italian and Albanian law enforcement agencies, in particular the Albanian Criminal Police Department and the Operational Force, with the support of the Central Directorate of the Italian Criminal Police and the Service for International Police Cooperation.
Thanks to a meticulous reconstruction of the two wanted men's path while on the run, it was possible to extend the arrest warrant issued by the Italian authorities to an international level. The General Secretariat of Interpol was activated to spread the searches on a global scale, inserting the operation into the broader "Wanted" project, aimed at locating and capturing high-profile criminals with the support of foreign police authorities.
The arrest of the two cousins represents a significant success in the fight against transnational organized crime and demonstrates the effectiveness of international cooperation in the judicial and police fields. The two, now in custody, will be transferred to Italy to serve the sentences to which they were sentenced more than two decades ago.
Article published on March 15, 2025 - 11pm
It is a strange fact that after 26 years of being on the run these cousins have finally been arrested, but I wonder how it was possible that they managed to escape for so long without being found by the competent authorities, it is incredible.