A man wanted in Albania for allegedly plotting to smuggle firearms into the UK is fighting extradition from Britain, claiming his life would be in danger from a traditional 'blood feud'.
The Alleged Gun Smuggling Plot
Alban Gjidiaj, 29, is sought by Albanian prosecutors over a conspiracy to traffic weapons. The court heard that on 10 April 2023, a van with British plates was stopped at Durres port, Albania, en route to the UK via Italy. Concealed inside a wooden table were eight firearms and 201 9mm cartridges. Six of the guns had their serial numbers removed.
David Ball, opening the case for Albania at Westminster Magistrates' Court, stated Gjidiaj and his older brother Almir, 34, were the intended recipients of the shipment. It is alleged there had been two previous deliveries in March 2023. Almir Gjidiaj is currently in custody after being arrested in Colombia.
The court was told that when the April delivery was intercepted, Alban Gjidiaj allegedly made a threatening phone call to a co-defendant, warning he would be killed if he identified the group's alleged leader, Adulla Hoxhaj. Gjidiaj denies making this call.
The Blood Feud Defence
Gjidiaj's defence hinges on a long-standing blood feud allegedly stemming from a £25,000 debt. His barrister, Malcolm Hawkes, told District Judge Daniel Sternberg that Gjidiaj's late father borrowed the money for urgent cancer treatment. Upon his death, the debt passed to the eldest son under the Kanun code governing blood feuds.
Hawkes stated that Gjidiaj's eldest brother was shot and his apartment in Tirana was bombed in October 2011. With that brother's whereabouts unknown, the feud purportedly transferred to Alban Gjidiaj. He claims he was followed four or five times while at university in Tirana before fleeing to the UK illegally in 2018.
Gjidiaj, speaking through an interpreter, denied importing weapons or making threats. He said he came to the UK in fear of his life and remains terrified of returning. He was arrested by the Met Police in January on a European Arrest Warrant and later granted bail with a £5,000 surety.
Life in the UK and Ongoing Fears
The court heard Gjidiaj arrived in the UK in November 2018, travelling via Belgium. He only applied for asylum in October 2023, after being stopped by police; it was refused. He has since been granted a family visa as he has a wife and a 15-year-old son in the UK. His wife, due to give birth in February, gave evidence of suspicious men visiting their home in December and January, incidents reported to police.
An expert on Albanian blood feuds, Professor Dimitris Dalakoglou, testified that the incidents at Gjidiaj's UK home could be related to an ongoing feud, stating perpetrators would first need to locate their target.
During cross-examination, David Ball suggested Gjidiaj was exaggerating the threat. Gjidiaj faces a potential 17-year prison sentence if convicted in Albania. The extradition hearing continues.
