A sophisticated organised crime gang, which meticulously planned a nationwide £1 million burglary campaign from a coffee shop in Birmingham, has been brought down by a series of careless mistakes, including distinctive footprints from a pair of Primark trainers.
The Reign of Terror and Sloppy Errors
The six-strong gang, comprising five Albanian men and one British woman, carried out a staggering 44 high-value burglaries across England over a year-long period. Their targets were wealthy homes, from which they stole jewellery, designer handbags, watches, and cash, often using ladders to access first-floor windows and balconies.
Despite their careful planning, which included researching targets and setting weekly gold theft targets, the group made critical errors. The initial breakthrough came when Cheshire Constabulary linked a series of break-ins in Macclesfield, Prestbury, Weston, and Willaston in October 2024 to others nationwide through unique footprints left by a specific style of Primark trainer.
Police Net Closes on Coffee Shop Plotters
This forensic clue allowed officers to use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) data to identify vehicles common to the crime scenes. A red Ford Focus, insured to gang member Kristian Gropcaj, 30, of Gas Street, Birmingham, was spotted at multiple raids. A hire car booked by Jade Tubb, 33, was also identified.
Phone analysis revealed Gropcaj was in regular contact with accomplices Endrit Nikolli, 27, George Lleshaj, 31, and Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, all of Crabtree Road, Walsall. Police discovered the four men met frequently at a coffee shop in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter to plot their crimes. Tubb was in a relationship with Nikolli and enjoyed spending their illicit profits.
A coordinated strike by multiple police forces on July 2, 2025, led to raids in Walsall, Sutton Coldfield, and Birmingham. This resulted in the arrest of Nikolli, Lleshaj, Gropcaj, and Tubb. Dedndreaj was later arrested in Surrey, and a sixth gang member, Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, of Durlstone Drive, Sheffield, was arrested at his home on September 3.
Guilty Pleas and Awaiting Sentence
During searches, police recovered 13 designer handbags, 14 watches worth nearly £17,000, and mobile phones containing hundreds of images of stolen goods and incriminating messages with Google Maps links to burglary locations.
All six defendants appeared at Chester Crown Court. Nikolli, Gropcaj, Lleshaj, Dedndreaj, and Lleshi pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property. Nikolli and Lleshi also admitted one additional count of burglary each. Tubb pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess criminal property.
The five men have been remanded in custody and are due to be sentenced on February 20, 2026. Tubb was bailed and will be sentenced on the same date.
Det Sgt Laura Fox of Macclesfield Proactive CID stated the gang had "absolutely no regard for the impact their offences would have on the victims" and regularly gloated about their crimes. She praised the cross-force collaboration that ensured the gang faced justice.
