Divjakë residents held their fifth protest in the city’s main square on Tuesday evening, opposing the proposed territorial reform, which envisages dissolving the Municipality of Divjakë and merging it with Lushnje.

Despite the lower turnout, those present strongly voiced their opposition to the initiative.

The protesters based their stance on concerns over services being moved farther away, as well as the consequences they believe the municipal merger would have on Divjakë’s economic and social conditions.

During the rally, calls were made for greater participation by citizens and residents in future protests, while public administration employees were urged to show maximum commitment.

Residents said they would not end their protest until the government announced the cancellation of the plan to dissolve the municipality.

After the protest, those present marched through the city’s streets, inviting more Divjakë residents to join their cause. Unlike on previous nights, the mayor did not take the podium to speak about the issue on Tuesday evening.

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Residents of Divjakë protested against the proposed territorial reform, which provides for the dissolution of the municipality and its incorporation into the Municipality of Lushnjë.

The protest was led by the mayor of Divjakë, Josif Gorreja. Numerous residents also spoke at the rally, voicing their opposition to the initiative to change the territorial division.

Participants also included representatives of the Democratic Party, including MPs Sajmir Korreshi and Brunilda Haxhiu, as well as former DP lawmaker Ilda Dhori.

Protesters said that merging with another local government unit risks moving services farther away from residents and weakening local representation. They called for Divjakë to continue operating as a separate municipality so that decision-making remains close to the community.

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Police forces in Divjakë have successfully concluded the operation called “Game Over”, striking an illegal gambling scheme inside a business in the village of Karavasta e Re. Economic Crime investigators, together with officers from the Divjakë Police Station, discovered during inspections a space specially equipped for gambling via computer devices and smartphones.

The bar owner, A. Ç., 52 years old, was arrested in flagrante delicto on suspicion of being the organizer of this illegal activity. Also arrested was E. Ç., 35 years old, who worked as a waiter, after a check of his mobile phone found websites similar to sports betting platforms.

Checks revealed that the 35-year-old was employed under completely irregular conditions, without any registration with the relevant state institutions.

As material evidence, police seized 5 computers, a digital video recorder (DVR), a laptop, and 5 mobile phones, which are believed to have served as tools for gambling. The complete procedural file was sent to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of First Instance of the General Jurisdiction of Fier for further legal steps.

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According to police, most of the plants found were destroyed on site by burning, while some were seized as material evidence.

In addition to the plantation, law enforcement officers also discovered and seized 44 kilograms of cannabis, which was being processed and dried in a facility specially adapted for this purpose.

Police statement:

“As a result of intensive checks across the territory of Fier County, from the ground and from the air, using drones, the services of the Fier Local Police Directorate, in cooperation with the services of the Divjakë Police Station, and based on information secured through operational channels, finalized the coded operation ‘Coordination’.

During the operation, in the place called ‘Divjakë Reservoir,’ on state-owned land, a facility adapted for drying and processing narcotic plants was found. In this facility, 37 kilograms of suspected narcotic cannabis substance in the drying process and 7 kilograms of suspected narcotic cannabis substance in bud form were found. The narcotic substance was seized as material evidence for the purpose of conducting expert examination.

As part of the subsequent procedural actions, specialists of the Narcotics Investigation Sector at the Fier Local Police Directorate referred the materials to the Prosecution, where proceedings were launched with the suspects remaining at large for the criminal offense of ‘Abuse of Office’ against 3 employees of the Regional Administration of Protected Areas in Fier County, the citizens:

-E. T., 33 years old, head of sector, F. H., 37 years old, management specialist, and G. A., 53 years old, guard. Work continues, under the direction of the Fier Prosecution, to identify and apprehend the perpetrator(s) of the cultivation of narcotic plants.

The Fier Local Police Directorate continues intensive checks from the air, using drones, and from the ground, with the aim of preventing and cracking down on the criminal activity of cultivating narcotic plants. The State Police encourages citizens to report any case of illegality to police units or to the toll-free number 112,” police said.

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However, for several days now, at the peak of production and technical ripeness, the selling price has fallen sharply. At the wholesale market in Divjakë, which is flooded with watermelons, the price ranges according to quality from 70 to 100 old lek per kg.

Farmers say they have been standing in the market for three days without managing to sell a single kilogram. According to them, the situation is becoming even more worrying for the produce still in the fields, as the high temperatures are pushing it into over-ripeness with every passing hour, leaving it with no market value.

Collection points as well, more than 34 of them, are taking in very small quantities, while some have already closed their doors. It is suspected that exporting companies in the region and beyond have secured markets outside Albania, where production costs and, consequently, prices are lower than in Divjakë.

The situation is expected to worsen even further, as two other large areas planting more than 500 hectares, the areas of Imshta and Tërbuf, have begun bringing their first quantities of watermelon to market, while thousands of tons continue to remain in the fields of Divjakë.

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