Albanian criminal gangs have set up a new service in England, offering to build and equip illegal cannabis grow houses in residential properties.

British media outlet GB News has published an article focusing on the phenomenon, highlighting that the gangs advertise their services on social media and even offer to dismantle the grow houses after cultivation is complete.

GB News says the social media advertisements directly target Britain’s Albanian community, which numbers around 150,000 people.

According to the British outlet, the criminal groups provide seedlings, hydroponic equipment, heat lamps and irrigation systems, converting entire premises for cannabis cultivation within a matter of hours.

It reports that Albanian criminal gangs now control the vast majority of cannabis-related criminal activity in Britain, having gradually taken control of the market from Vietnamese criminal groups over the past decade.

As a result, cannabis-related criminal activity is considered one of the factors fuelling much of the gang violence on British streets, as criminal groups fight to secure the largest possible share of this illegal market.

Full article from GB News

GB News has uncovered an openly advertised new service run by Albanian criminal gangs, which offer to set up illegal cannabis farms in homes across the United Kingdom. The gangs are now advertising on social media, offering a “full service” to build and equip premises where cannabis is grown. Posing as legitimate construction companies, the criminal groups arrive in vans loaded with cannabis seedlings, hydroponic equipment and heat lamps.

Within hours of arriving at a property, these criminal teams can transform entire rooms into cannabis-growing facilities. GB News has obtained several videos showing this new, professionally organised criminal operation in action.

The gangs modify the property’s electrical wiring to power the numerous heat lamps and irrigation system needed to grow the plants. They even insulate the building, lining rooms with reflective materials to retain heat and make detection by police helicopters and drones more difficult, as these can identify the distinctive heat loss through the roofs of buildings where cannabis is being grown.

Other disturbing videos show the gangs installing bars on windows and doors, both to protect the cannabis farms from robberies by rival groups and to hinder the police in the event of an inspection or raid. Once the plants are fully grown, harvested and sold, the gangs even offer a clean-up service: they dismantle the farm, clear out the rooms and return the property to its normal condition.

A source from the world of organised crime told GB News: “This is incredibly open. Criminal gangs have become much more sophisticated.”

According to the source, people tempted to enter the drug trade no longer need specialised knowledge.

“You only have to give the gangs a share of the profits and they provide everything you need, from the plants and pots to the heat lamps.”

GB News understands that the social media advertisements directly target Britain’s Albanian community, which numbers around 150,000 people.

According to the report, Albanian criminal gangs now control the vast majority of cannabis-related criminal activity in Britain, having gradually taken control of the market from Vietnamese criminal groups over the past decade. The illegal cannabis trade is enormous and is estimated to be worth more than £2.5 billion a year.

For street-level dealers, the cannabis trade can even be more profitable than selling Class A drugs such as cocaine. As a result, cannabis-related criminal activity is considered one of the factors fuelling much of the gang violence on British streets, as criminal groups fight to secure the largest possible share of this illegal market.

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ABC Australia has published an in-depth article on developments in Albania, focusing on protests organized in Tirana against Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government, as well as disputes surrounding tourism projects along the coast.

According to the Australian media outlet, public discontent in the country is growing, fueled in part by calls to preserve natural assets, particularly on Sazan Island and in the Narta Lagoon.

The initiative known as the “Flamingo Revolution” initially arose from environmental concerns, but ABC Australia notes that it has now evolved into a broader protest against the way the country is governed.

At the heart of the article is a project to build a luxury resort in the Sazan and Zvërnec area. Companies linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are also mentioned in this context.

The plan has sparked heated debate between those who view economic development as a priority and activists sounding the alarm over its potential impact on the natural ecosystem.

Environmentalists quoted by the Australian media outlet describe the Narta Lagoon and Sazan Island as two of the Mediterranean’s most important natural assets. They are calling for any development to be carried out with due regard for environmental protection.

Flamingos have become the emblem of the movement, as the Narta Lagoon is an important habitat for migratory birds and protected species.

The article also focuses on the daily protests in Tirana, where large numbers of citizens have opposed major tourism projects and called on institutions to provide greater transparency.

For its part, the Albanian government has previously stated that these tourism projects are part of its economic development strategy and that the investments should be viewed as an opportunity to expand the tourism sector.

ABC Australia emphasizes that the debate over Sazan and the Albanian coast has become one of the country’s most widely discussed issues.

Two opposing positions face each other: preserving natural areas and pursuing economic development through investment.

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The Spanish newspaper “El Correo” has devoted an article to the protest against Prime Minister Edi Rama, which has now been ongoing for 58 days. Albanians are unanimously demanding the prime minister’s departure.

“The spark of anger, which has turned into daily demonstrations on the streets of the capital, Tirana, erupted several months ago, although the origins of the operation date back to 2024,” El Correo writes.

The article follows:

Edi Rama can boast that he has catapulted Albania’s economy through tourism during his time as prime minister. In 2013, when he came to power, around 3 million travelers arrived. In 2025, there were more than 12 million, four times as many. But the Socialist leader wants more and now aims to position the Balkan nation—which is promoted as the European Caribbean and owes part of its appeal to its affordable prices—as a luxury destination.

But that ambition has backfired since the Trump family’s interest in pursuing it through two multimillion-euro tourism projects became known. Their plans have triggered the largest wave of protests in the country since the fall of communism in the early 1990s and directly threaten Rama’s leadership. He refuses to take “a step back,” even over Albania’s membership in the European Union.

The spark of anger, which has turned into daily demonstrations on the streets of the capital, Tirana, erupted several months ago, although the origins of the operation date back to 2024.

That year, Rama’s government granted special investor status to the firm behind the controversial real estate initiative: Affinity Partners, the investment fund linked to Jared Kushner, Trump’s “first son-in-law”—through his daughter Ivanka—who conceived the Gaza of the future, filled with skyscrapers overlooking the sea.

The businessman had placed two tourism projects on the Albanian prime minister’s desk.

One is a resort on the island of Sazan, a former communist military base that is now uninhabited, at a cost of around 1.400 billion euros.

The other is valued at 4.000 billion euros and would be built in the protected Vjosa-Narta wetlands, near Zvërnec, which are owned by the Qatari brothers—and Kushner’s partners—Ramez and Mohamad al-Khayyat.

Albania’s Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office is already investigating how the transfer of the property titles for that picture-postcard location was carried out.

“We were on a friend’s boat (…) We swam to the island, took a walk barefoot all the way to the top, and were captivated,” Ivanka Trump, seemingly unfazed by the criticism, told an American podcaster several weeks ago, describing how they discovered the nature reserve where her husband saw a business opportunity.

Along the Balkan nation’s 450 kilometers of coastline, which remained almost untouched during the harsh Stalinist regime, Kushner has set his sights on an area of extraordinary biodiversity that provides a haven for birds such as flamingos—which gave their name to the movement opposing the tourism plan: the “flamingo revolution.”

Failed Attempt in Serbia

Nevertheless, the prime minister has become the leading defender of the luxury megaproject, which he calls a “blessing” for this country of barely 3 million inhabitants and one of Europe’s most modest economies.

“Albania is not for sale,” his compatriots retort.

That enthusiasm for the Trump family’s initiative—which recently failed in another highly contested real estate venture in Serbia—has transformed the environmental campaign against the resort—even laws protecting sensitive areas were amended to facilitate it—into open criticism of Rama, with protesters demanding that he resign and call early elections.

The 62-year-old leader, now in his fourth term, is turning a deaf ear and accuses foreign cyber activists, specifically Iran, of fueling the demonstrations against a project that is already under construction.

Nor is he heeding warnings from the European Union, which has expressed its “concern” about the resort’s environmental consequences and the potential conflict with the accession process—Tirana applied in 2009 and became an official candidate five years later—to join the European bloc.

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Italian media “L’Espresso” has paid attention to the attacks of Prime Minister Edi Rama against the protesters, who have continued for about two months in the square in front of the Prime Minister’s Office, demanding his removal from power.

In an article, the media refers to the prime minister’s statements yesterday during a live video on social media, where he again labeled the protesters as “crows and ravens.”

“His tone became contemptuous when he emphasized the distance between the two categories he himself created. He expressed respect for the ‘flamingos’ (‘They taught me a lot.’) For the others, he spoke very differently: ‘As for the crows and ravens, I feel only disgust. They scream, curse, sing vulgar words, and believe they can change the world. They change nothing and will have no chance here in Albania,’ the article quotes.

The media also describes the protest as the biggest anti-government movement in years in Albania, while mentioning how the prime minister has tried to quell it using mockery and conspiracy theories about foreign interference.

“This is not the first time Rama has attacked the flamingo movement. From the first weeks, the prime minister has alternated between mockery and conspiracy theories: he dismissed the protests as an ‘imaginary flamingo revolution,’ evoked a ‘hybrid war’ piloted from abroad – involving Iran and Greece in this situation – and, in an interview with the Financial Times, told the protesters ‘to hell,'” the article further states.

Full article:

Edi Rama is not backing down. Nearly two months after protests swept Tirana (and beyond), the Albanian prime minister returned today to his attack on the so-called “Flamingo Revolution” movement – demonstrations that began at the end of May against a mega-resort linked to Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the protected area of Vjosa-Narta. This has become the biggest anti-government protest in years, with calls for the prime minister’s resignation, who has been in power since 2013.

In an online dialogue with citizens, Rama divided the path of the demonstrations into two parts: on one side the “flamingos,” on the other the “crows and ravens.” “This path is clearly divided for me, because it is divided by history,” he said. “The story of the flamingos” would be that of the “new Albania”; that of the “crows and ravens that have invaded” would simply be “the past presenting itself in very dangerous and disturbing forms.”

His tone became contemptuous when he emphasized the distance between the two categories he himself created. He expressed respect for the “flamingos” (“They taught me a lot.”) For the others, he spoke very differently: “As for the crows and ravens, I feel only disgust. They scream, curse, sing vulgar words in chorus and believe they can change the world. They change nothing and will have no chance here in Albania.”

The prime minister repeated his attack on “right-wing and left-wing extremism” composed of “charlatans, illusionists, ignoramuses and failures filled with rage”; on the other hand, his economic agenda – the “Mountain Package,” major investments and an increase in GDP from 27 to 35 billion euros by 2030. “This is the story of the future,” he repeated. He also criticized those who question the presence of foreigners and foreign capital: those who call for “an Albania only for Albanians” would represent “the worst thing that could happen to this country.”

This is not the first time Rama has attacked the flamingo movement. From the first weeks, the prime minister has alternated between mockery and conspiracy theories: he dismissed the protests as an ‘imaginary flamingo revolution,’ evoked a ‘hybrid war’ piloted from abroad – involving Iran and Greece in this situation – and, in an interview with the Financial Times, told the protesters ‘to hell’.

The post Biggest anti-government protest in years / Italian media: Rama attacked protesters, labeling them ‘crows and ravens’! The prime minister has tried to quell the movement with mockery and conspiracy theories appeared first on Albeu.com.

For 51 days, a powerful wave of protest has swept the Albanian capital, marking what is now known as the “Flamingo Revolution”.

On Sunday, for the fiftieth consecutive time, numerous citizens took to the streets of Tirana to express their dissatisfaction and to demand Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.

The news was covered by the Dutch media “Nieuwsblad”, which dedicated a special article to this event.

Although public anger was initially sparked by a tourist construction project in Zvërnec, backed by a company linked to the family of US President Donald Trump, the movement has now taken on broader dimensions.

Now it aims for deep political changes and the overthrow of the current government. According to reports, a national march is planned for next Thursday in front of the Albanian Parliament building.

The article goes on to list some of the chants that echoed in the square: “Rama, resign!”, “Your end is near”, “Albania is not for sale”, and “Albania demands revolution!”. One participant addressed the gathered crowd with the words: “We will not leave this square until our five demands are met”.

Local media emphasize that among the protesters’ main demands are the removal of the prime minister, the fall of the executive, and deep reforms to strike widespread corruption.

Since the end of May, daily demonstrations have centered on opposition to a luxury hotel planned to be built in a protected natural area in Zvërnec, on the Adriatic coast.

This habitat is known for the resting and nesting of flamingos, herons, and a wide range of other bird species. The construction project’s value reaches 1.4 billion euros and is financially supported by a firm of Jared Kushner.

It is precisely this investment that has provoked the harsh reaction of activists, who raise strong suspicions of corruption in its approval.

As a result, the protests have been dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution”, a name that directly refers to the birds living in the endangered lagoon. Despite ongoing public pressure, Prime Minister Edi Rama has declared that he has no intention of suspending this project.

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The article emphasizes that the music star’s words come as a refrain that strikes the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama, as she expresses concern that environmental protection can be altered without proper public consultation.

“For Rama, this is an awkward moment,” the media article states, adding that when a globally significant figure like Dua Lipa raises her voice, the message spreads far beyond the squares of Tirana.

“She is not organizing protests or calling for resignations, but her quiet entry into this debate makes her a new influential factor,” the article says.

Full article:

After nearly 50 days of protests on the streets of Albania, global superstar Dua Lipa has finally reacted – and her words come as a well-aimed refrain against the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Born in London to Albanian parents in 1995, Dua (whose name means “love” in Albanian) rose from posting song covers on YouTube as a teenager to become one of the biggest pop artists in the world. With hits like “Levitating,” “Don’t Start Now,” and “New Rules,” she has won Grammy awards, has billions of streams on music platforms, and holds major influence in the fashion world as well, becoming a cultural ambassador beyond music. She proudly waves the Albanian flag at her concerts, visits family in Kosovo, and has previously used her platform to highlight issues related to the Balkans. For an audience used to EU policy and MEPs rather than music stars, she can be thought of as the equivalent of an extraordinarily influential influencer whose reach far exceeds that of many politicians.

On her podcast “Service95,” alongside Lea Ypi, Lipa expressed a measured concern rather than a sharp attack: she finds it “worrying” that environmental protection can be changed without proper public consultation. This is a calm, principle-focused criticism, yet clearly directed at the legal changes that paved the way for a luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner. It is not a fiery political manifesto but a clear signal that even a globally famous figure, with nothing to gain from this issue, is closely following the situation.

For Rama, this is an awkward moment. The “Flamingo” protests – so named after the migratory birds threatened by the project’s development – have already shifted from a local environmental clash into a broader movement against what is perceived as favoritism toward entrenched interests and a lack of transparency. When a globally significant figure with a strong Albanian identity like Dua Lipa raises her voice, the message travels far beyond the squares of Tirana. She is not organizing protests or calling for resignations, but her quiet entry into this debate makes her a new influential factor.

Whether this will shift the political balance remains to be seen. But in an era of viral moments and diaspora power, a single, thoughtfully chosen sentence on a podcast from London’s most famous Albanian daughter carries a weight that decisions made behind closed doors in the capital cannot easily dismiss. The streets of Albania have been speaking for weeks; now a globally recognized voice has joined this melody.

In this heated debate that has engulfed Albania, the unusual story now featuring Jared and Ivanka Kushner, Prime Minister Edi Rama, and pop icon Dua Lipa resembles a scenario that even the most shocking Netflix series would struggle to outdo.

The post Dua Lipa Joins the Flamingo Protests / Foreign Media: Her Words Are a Striking Refrain Against the Rama Government appeared first on Albeu.com.

According to the article, Albanian prosecutors are investigating businessman Artur Shehu, who is suspected of having sold part of the land where the resort backed by Jared Kushner is planned to be built.

The investigation concerns suspicions of money laundering, forgery of ownership documents, and international drug trafficking.

SPAK documents refer to “reasonable suspicions” that some of the assets were obtained through forged documents, while prosecutors suspect that proceeds from criminal activity were invested in real estate.

The article emphasizes that Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and the project’s investors are not under investigation and are not accused of any wrongdoing.

According to Reuters, there is no evidence that they were aware of the suspicions hanging over the land seller at the time of the transaction.

The project in Zvërnec, backed by Prime Minister Edi Rama, has long faced opposition from environmentalists and residents because of its potential impact on the area’s ecosystem.

Nevertheless, Rama has declared that the project will move forward despite the legal challenges and objections.

The Daily Beast article:

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s controversial luxury resort project in Albania has suffered another blow, as prosecutors claim that land tied to the development may have been obtained through forged property documents.

Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors are investigating Miami-based businessman Artur Shehu, who sold a stretch of the coastline planned for Kushner’s multi-billion-dollar resort earlier this year. Prosecutors claim that Shehu and his associates laundered money linked to international drug trafficking and suspect that he used forged property documents to build a real estate empire.

In court documents reviewed by Reuters, the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) said it had “reasonable suspicions” that assets linked to the deal were obtained through forged documents. Prosecutors also accused Shehu and his associates of trafficking cocaine from South America to Europe and laundering the proceeds through property investments.

Shehu has strongly denied these claims. His lawyer, Kujtim Cakrani, told Reuters that his client “is neither a drug trafficker nor a forger of property documents” and insisted that the allegations are untrue.

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have not been accused of any wrongdoing, nor have any of the project’s investors. Reuters reported that it found no indication that the investors were aware of any concerns related to Shehu at the time the land was purchased.

A spokesperson for Sazan Real Estate Development, the Kushner-backed company behind the project, told Reuters that it continues to believe the land purchases were carried out lawfully and in accordance with the relevant procedures.

The development, planned along an untouched stretch of Albania’s Adriatic coastline, has already faced strong opposition from environmental activists and local residents. Protesters argue that the project threatens wetlands and wildlife habitats, including populations of flamingos and sea turtles, which have become symbols of the movement against the resort.

The latest controversy could further complicate the high-profile project, which Kushner unveiled in 2024 after he and Ivanka reportedly discovered the area while sailing nearby on a yacht.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has remained a vocal supporter of the project and has insisted that it will move forward despite the ongoing legal and environmental challenges.

SPAK’s investigation is still ongoing, and authorities have not publicly announced whether any of the suspects identified in the case have been arrested or formally charged.

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According to the outlet, this is the biggest popular mobilization the country has seen in recent decades, while its greatest achievement, in its view, has been the disappearance of fear.

Attention has also been given to the “hybrid war” that, according to the Italian media, has been waged by Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has tried to portray the protest as a product of Iran or Russia.

The article also addresses police violence against protesters, as well as the lack of response from institutions.

The full article:

The biggest popular mobilization Albania has seen in recent decades is still continuing, spreading rapidly on social media while facing ongoing attempts at delegitimization.

“The most important achievement of the protest is what the organizers describe as the killing of fear. Albanians no longer see the power of Prime Minister Edi Rama as untouchable. This shift in the collective psychology may be the most significant consequence of this movement.”

For investigative journalist Xhesika Tollia, who for more than a month has been following the Flamingo Revolution demonstrations on the ground for the investigative portal “Shteg,” this is the moment marking a turning point in the biggest popular mobilization of recent decades in Albania. According to her, beyond the political demands, the way citizens perceive power has changed.

The same conviction also drove Endrin Hysa, 37, an Italian of Albanian origin. He has lived in Italy for years, but as soon as the protests began he decided to join the diaspora and return to Albania to take part in the demonstrations.

“Omerta (the silence imposed by fear) has always been one of the greatest problems of this people. For entire decades Albanians lived cut off from the world under communism. After its fall, many people became accustomed to passively accepting a deeply corrupt politics,” the 37-year-old says.

He also recalls some scenes from his childhood: “When I was a child, I lived in Durrës and we all knew that that high-rise building had been built by the mafia, or that bar, or the one next to it. For us, the presence of organized crime was something normal,” Endrini explains.

He goes on to add: “For this reason I always thought Albania would never change, as long as this collective silence continued. When I saw on Instagram thousands of people taking to the streets, I realized that something extraordinary was happening. For the first time I saw Albanians freeing themselves from fear. And I had to be here.”

His case also highlights another characteristic of the Flamingo Revolution: its ability to spread more through social media than through traditional media.

“This is a non-traditional protest,” Tollia explains. “It relies heavily on social media and uses forms of communication typical of younger generations. Anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection can post a video that may go viral within a few hours.”

That is precisely why, she stresses, the movement has never depended on coverage by traditional media, either nationally or internationally.

“The protest spread through social media algorithms. And for this reason Prime Minister Rama has repeatedly described the algorithm as the ‘culprit.’”

The Albanian journalist says that at first the prime minister tried to impose his own narrative: “At first he tried to downplay the protests. Then, when it became clear that they represented a political reality that could no longer be ignored, he began looking for elements to discredit them.”

According to her, Rama initially spoke of a “hybrid war.”

“He claimed that the movement was influenced by Russian or Iranian interests. When these explanations found no support in public opinion, he began singling out individual protesters, publishing their names and photographs on his social media channels.”

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the squares has become more tense.

In recent days there have been clashes and several arrests. Nevertheless, one of the chants heard most often remains: “The police are with us.”

“The use of force cannot be justified by the fact that some protesters threw flour or eggs at MPs’ vehicles,” Tollia says.

“So far there has been no institutional response to the violence that some detainees have reported. We have seen people already subdued and lying on the ground being beaten with rubber batons.”

According to Tollia, these episodes of violence have quickly been incorporated into the government’s narrative.

“It was to be expected that these episodes would be exploited to reinforce the government’s narrative. And that is exactly what is happening. Some communication experts believe that the Socialist Party is following a coordinated strategy of message discipline and political spin.”

Nevertheless, according to the journalist, the clashes have not caused support for the protest to decline.

“The national demonstration on July 4, which brought thousands of people into the streets, showed that the protest continues to mobilize citizens just as much as it did on the first day. Images of parents bringing their children to protests and letting them sit on the asphalt drawing are the clearest proof that the majority of participants are not seeking violence. They continue to support the movement with the same enthusiasm as at the beginning.”

The demands of the thousands of protesters remain unchanged: profound political change and the resignation of Edi Rama, who for the moment has no intention of leaving office.

“I cannot say whether Rama will resign or not,” Tollia concludes.

“He himself has repeated several times that this possibility is not part of his plans. What I can say is that this protest will carry a considerable political cost for him.”

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