The Basic Court in Pristina has found that Izet Sheqiri, Faton Vrajolli, Kadri Sheqiri, Kadri Brahimi and Fehmi Bytyqi acted as members of an organized criminal group that sought to traffic cocaine from Brazil to Kosovo.
Të lidhura
None found
On March 19, 2026, the court sentenced the owner of the company “MC FOOD,” Izet Sheqiri, together with Faton Vrajolli, Kadri Sheqiri, Kadri Brahimi and Fehmi Bytyqi, to a combined total of 75 years in prison and fines totaling 108,000 euros. The full judgment in the case was issued on May 18, 2026, “Betimi për Drejtësi” reports.
The judgment dated May 18, 2026, states that, based on the evidence presented, the involvement of the five defendants in the criminal group created to traffic cocaine was proven.
According to the ruling, Izet Sheqiri, as the owner of “MC FOOD,” and Faton Vrajolli, as deputy director and the person responsible for imports, were the main organizers of the criminal activity. In coordination with individuals in Brazil, they had devised a plan to conceal the narcotics inside legitimate shipments of meat products imported from that country.
The court found that the group operated according to a clearly defined hierarchy, with precisely assigned roles. Izet Sheqiri directed and oversaw the entire operation, while Faton Vrajolli handled operational coordination, communication with Brazilian suppliers and the organization of distribution.
Kadri Sheqiri, a relative of the owner and a sales representative at the company, was tasked with distributing the cocaine in Pristina and beyond. The evidence shows that Faton Vrajolli had assigned him this task for the period from May 20 to 25, 2021, in exchange for a payment of 60,000 euros.
The group’s plan also set out in detail how “MC FOOD’s” status as a regular importer, categorized under the customs “yellow channel,” would be exploited. This status meant that the company’s goods were subject only to documentation checks and not to physical inspections of shipments, creating an opportunity for the drugs to be transported without being detected during customs procedures.
Data obtained from international authorities showed that container S… had departed from Brazil and traveled along the route Navegantes, Brazil–Valencia, Spain–Gioia Tauro, Italy–Durrës, Albania–Lipjan, Kosovo. Italian authorities had detected irregularities during an X-ray scan at the port of Gioia Tauro, but the container was allowed to continue its journey according to a plan coordinated by the investigative authorities.
Another key element that, according to the court, demonstrates the group’s links to criminal networks in Brazil concerns two other “MC FOOD” containers. In March 2021, Spanish authorities seized them at the port of Barcelona after finding 109 kg and 218 kg of cocaine in them, respectively.
Telephone communications presented as evidence showed that Izet Sheqiri, Faton Vrajolli and Kadri Brahimi were aware of these seizures. They had discussed the “shortages” in the respective shipments among themselves, using coded expressions for the confiscated cocaine.
Although the seizure of these two containers was not the subject of the proceedings, the court treated it as circumstantial evidence. According to the judgment, the conversations among the defendants in both instances concerned the very containers in which the narcotics had been discovered, while there were no other communications regarding routine shipments. According to the court, the fact that the same individuals were involved reflected the way the group was organized.
The Basic Court also found that, following the arrests, a coordinated plan to obstruct justice was put into action through the manipulation of cooperating witness Kadri Sheqiri. Intercepted communications used as evidence showed that Izet Sheqiri had communicated with Kadri Sheqiri while in pretrial detention, offering him material benefits if he changed his statement.
In this context, Hyzri Sheqiri and Naim Morina, who have already been convicted by a final judgment, had organized a scheme intended to portray Kadri Sheqiri as a person with mental health problems. Through sham visits to the Psychiatry Clinic, they sought to undermine the credibility of his statement as a cooperating witness.
In reaching its conclusion regarding the facts described in the operative part of the judgment, the court took into account the interconnection of the entire chain of events, communications about the products, statements by the cooperating witness, conversations among the defendants concerning only the shipment containing the drugs, audio recordings, the employees’ specific responsibilities and actions contrary to those duties solely in the case in question.
According to the court’s assessment, the evidence as a whole rules out the possibility that any other person was involved in bringing the narcotics into the “MC FOOD” company.
The indictment filed by the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo (SPRK), concerning the seizure of 400 kilograms of cocaine, charges “MC FOOD” owner Izet Sheqiri, as well as Faton Vrajolli, Kadri Sheqiri, Kadri Brahimi, Fehmi Bytyqi, Hyzri Sheqiri and Naim Morina.
“Betimi për Drejtësi” had reported exclusively on the prosecution’s case file in this matter, in which Izet Sheqiri, Faton Vrajolli, Kadri Sheqiri, Kadri Brahimi, Fehmi Bytyqi, Hyzri Sheqiri and Naim Morina are listed as defendants.
Hyzri Sheqiri and Naim Morina were charged in the same case as the other five defendants, but the criminal proceedings against them were severed after they reached plea agreements.
Following an agreement with the prosecution, Hyzri Sheqiri was sentenced to seven months in prison for obstructing criminal proceedings. For the same offense, Naim Morina received a six-month prison sentence, also after reaching a plea agreement.
Through this indictment, the prosecution has sought the confiscation of 400 kilograms of cocaine, vehicles, weapons and approximately 26,000 euros.
