Execution of Artan Myrtaj, RENEA ‘lands’ in Kamëz, conducts checks in the homes of Ervis Lami, his nephew and his friend

This Monday, RENEA forces ‘landed’ in Kamëz, where they conducted several checks as part of the investigation into the murder of 44-year-old Artan Myrtaj a day earlier in Sarandë.

According to journalist Klodiana Lala, the checks were carried out at the homes of Ervis Lami, his nephew, and another person with a friendly connection.

Lami is known as the head of a criminal group operating in Sarandë and Tirana. During the checks, nothing was found in their homes.

The 44-year-old Myrtaj had just been released from prison as a suspect in the July 2025 incident, where two friends of Ervis Lami were wounded in the center of Sarandë.

HOW THE INCIDENT HAPPENED

Artan Myrtaj, 44, was executed by gunfire by two individuals riding a motorcycle. The incident was recorded around 09:55 at the former agency. A bullet also struck 73-year-old Xhevdet Skëndaj, who was passing by at the time. At the scene, about 13 shell casings of 9 millimeter caliber were found and seized.

The 44-year-old, known as ‘Tani i Rruzhdiut’, had a criminal record. He was arrested in connection with the incident on July 17, 2025, accused of aiding the perpetrator of the crime, in which Gëzim Hajdaraj and Ernest Lame from Kamëz were wounded.

The perpetrator was Ramadan Zoto, 44, while Artan Murtaj, Klaus Jacaj, and Erjon Canaj assisted him during the incident and his escape. Myrtaj was also known as a drug user and previously convicted for ‘theft’.

One of the lines of inquiry being verified is that of an assassination carried out by contract killers, while the possibility that the murder is part of the ongoing conflict that started after the July incident last year is not ruled out.