The Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo (SPO) filed an indictment on July 17, 2026, against Adem Helshani, Qëndrim Elshani, Mentor Dreshaj, Leon Dizdari, Ardian Gashi and Faruk Osaj. All six are accused of involvement in an organized criminal group and other criminal offenses.
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The document obtained by “Betimi për Drejtësi” covers the defendants’ activities from July 2024 through January 29, 2025. According to the Prosecution, they operated as an organized criminal group with the aim of obtaining direct financial gain and engaged in ongoing criminal activities.
Adem Helshani, who lives outside the Republic of Kosovo, is suspected of having formed, led and controlled the group. Qëndrim Elshani, meanwhile, allegedly acted as an intermediary, conveying orders and securing money and weapons.
The members’ meetings and coordination of activities took place mainly in Peja, including at the home of Mentor Dreshaj and Leon Dizdari in the village of Nabërgjan, Peja.
One of the cases included in the indictment concerns June 1, 2024, when Faruk Osaj allegedly set fire, in accordance with a prearranged plan, to Blerim Elshani’s van in the village of Baicë, Istog. The material damage is estimated at around €9,000, while Osaj is also suspected of threatening the injured party with death.
During 2024 and 2025, over a property dispute, Adem Helshani allegedly threatened Jeton Buquku on several occasions. Initially, he demanded €1 million from him, then threatened to burn down his business and subjected him to continuous psychological pressure, with the aim of forcing him to act to the detriment of his property interests.
According to the indictment, in December 2024 and January 2025, Qëndrim Elshani, Leon Dizdari, Mentor Dreshaj, Faruk Osaj and Ardian Gashi, acting on the instructions of Adem Helshani, took concrete steps to kill Shkodran Hyseni. They also allegedly planned the wounding or possible killing of Jeton Buquku and Egzon Buquku.
The Prosecution claims that the motives were base and that the aim was to strengthen the criminal group’s position, intimidate the victims and force them to act against their own financial interests.
After earlier meetings and monitoring the movements of the injured parties, on January 28, 2025, in Nabërgjan, Peja, Leon Dizdari and Mentor Dreshaj met Ardian Gashi to involve him in the killing of Shkodran Hyseni.
At that meeting, according to the indictment, it was agreed that Gashi would be paid €30,000 if he carried out Hyseni’s murder. If he only wounded him, the payment would be €7,000.
On January 29, 2025, at around 8:00 p.m., near the railway in the village of Nabërgjan, Peja, Leon Dizdari and Mentor Dreshaj allegedly handed Ardian Gashi an AK-47 automatic weapon, which was to be used to carry out the plan.
The plan was not carried out because, according to the Prosecution, the intervention of the Kosovo Police and the arrest of the suspects prevented the murder from taking place.
Prosecution: Defendants had defined roles
In the conclusions of the indictment, the Special Prosecution Office states that the material gathered during the investigation creates a well-founded suspicion that the six defendants cooperated within an organized criminal group.
According to the Prosecution, this assessment is supported by telecommunications interceptions, audio and video surveillance, physical surveillance reports, records of searches and seizures, material evidence, expert examinations and witness testimony.
When analyzed together, these pieces of evidence, according to the prosecuting authority, show how the group was organized, how duties were divided and what each defendant’s contribution was.
Adem Helshani is described as the group’s organizer and leader, while Qëndrim Elshani is suspected of serving as its operational coordinator.
According to the Prosecution, Mentor Dreshaj and Leon Dizdari handled operational and logistical support. Ardian Gashi agreed to carry out the criminal objective, while Faruk Osaj allegedly took part in the group’s activities, including arson.
The Special Prosecution Office describes the defendants’ activities not as the result of a spur-of-the-moment agreement, but as the operation of an organized structure with divided responsibilities, continuous coordination and a shared criminal objective.
The indictment states that the procedural guarantees provided for by the Criminal Procedure Code were respected during the investigative proceedings and that the evidence was obtained in accordance with the law.
Regarding the defendants’ statements, the Prosecution says they were examined in relation to the material evidence. However, its assessment is that the statements are not supported by the evidence obtained and were intended to evade or mitigate criminal responsibility.
Adem Helshani is accused of the criminal offense of “Participation in or Organization of an Organized Criminal Group,” set out in Article 277, paragraph 2, of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo.
Qëndrim Elshani, Leon Dizdari, Ardian Gashi, Faruk Osaj and Mentor Dreshaj are accused of the same criminal offense under Article 277, paragraph 1, of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kosovo, in connection with the offenses of “Preparatory Actions in the Commission of the Criminal Offense of Aggravated Murder,” “Coercion,” “Causing General Danger,” “Arson” and “Unauthorized Ownership, Control or Possession of Weapons.”
The Special Prosecution Office has determined that there is a sufficient factual and legal basis for filing the indictment and has requested that the defendants be found guilty of the criminal offenses with which they are charged.
