An Albanian criminal group has confessed to a series of £1 million heists targeting luxurious homes across the UK, including properties in Prestbury, Cheshire—a village known for its wealthy residents, including several Premier League footballers.

The five-man crew executed 44 late-night burglaries, focusing on affluent homeowners. Police managed to recover 13 designer handbags and 14 luxury watches, valued at nearly £17,000.

Cheshire police also released images showcasing scales laden with gold jewelry and substantial stacks of cash, further highlighting the extent of the gang’s operations.

One gang member reportedly began a romance with a British woman, exchanging messages that likened their exploits to the infamous American criminal duo, Bonnie and Clyde.

During separate hearings at Chester Crown Court, Endrit Nikolli, 27, George Lleshaj, 31, and Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, all residing in Walsall, admitted to conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property.

Their accomplices, Kristian Gropcaj, 30, from Birmingham, and Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, also pleaded guilty to the same charges.

Nickolli’s girlfriend Jade Tubb, aged 33, of Walsall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess criminal property.

Police who trapped the gang following a huge ten-month investigation recovered a picture of one of the burglars defiantly posing with wads of cash and holding some of the stolen watches.

Albanian gang members (l-r) Endrit Nikolli, 27, George Lleshaj, 31, Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property, during separate hearings at Chester Crown Court

Fellow gang members (l-r) Kristian Gropcaj, 30, and Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, pleaded guilty to the same offences – all five men are due to be sentenced in Febuary

The burglary gang’s loot included an array of stolen luxury watches from the mansions they plundered. Pictured: Sidorjan Lleshi brandishing a large number of the timepieces 

Other photos showed two gang members, wearing hoods, hats and mask to cover their faces, posing with a stolen safe and a giant sledgehammer. 

The five Albanians had emigrated to the British mainland despite some of them apparently leading affluent lifestyles in their native country. 

Social media shots have emerged of them enjoying a party lifestyle in Albania. 

One member posted images of sightseeing trips to Monte Carlo, Paris and Milan while another showed off standing beside a silver Mercedes and boasting: ‘My car.’

In one exchange Kristian Gropcaj, 30, posted: ‘Yes life is terrible’ to which 31-year old George Lleshaj responded: ‘The free jam has gone viral – I’m so happy.’

Police said the investigation against the gang began in October 2024 when detectives in Macclesfield became aware of a series of burglaries with similar modus operandi taking place across Cheshire.

On each occasion the offenders would typically gain entry by using ladders to access first-floor windows and balconies. 

Once inside they would ransack the properties, stealing jewellery, designer handbags, watches and cash.

Police then consulted with other forces which reported similar break-ins in their areas. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology was used to identify vehicles which were present at all of these incidents and discovered a red Ford Focus insured in Gropcaj’s name had been seen during many of the incidents.

Some of the luxury handbags recovered by Cheshire Police after the five burglars were apprehended 

Two of the gang members, their faces covered, pose with a stolen safe and a large hammer

An image of a firearm resting on a table full of luxury goods and wads of banknotes, posted on Facebook by Albanian gang member Sidorjan Lleshi

Some of the stolen cash recovered by Cheshire Constabulary during the gang’s arrest 

Scales weigh jewellery stolen from luxury mansions during the gang’s burglary spree 

Telephone checks subsequently conducted on Gropcaj revealed he had been in regular contact with three other suspects and they would regularly meet at a coffee shop in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. 

Traces of DNA from one of the gang was found at the scene of a burglary in Staffordshire.

The gang were detained during raids carried out on July 2 last year at addresses in Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham.

Several mobile phones were also recovered during the warrants, and through analysis officers recovered hundreds of images of the stolen items, along with messages which contained links to Google maps which correlated with the scene of the burglaries.

Officers estimated the total value of the items stolen was in excess of £1million but while some items have been recovered, the vast majority have been sold on.

Today Detective Sergeant Laura Fox, of Cheshire Police, said: ‘This was a high-level organised crime gang responsible for at least 44 high-value burglaries across the UK. 

‘All were carefully orchestrated, with the gang researching their targets before committing their crimes, even expanding their crime spree across multiple forces in an effort to go undetected.

‘The gang specifically targeted wealthy victims, with the aim of stealing as much high value property as possible. Between them, they even set weekly targets for the amount of gold that they wanted to steal.

‘It has been clear that the gang had absolutely no regard for the impact that their offences would have on the victims. Instead they regularly gloated about their crimes and shared images of ill-gotten gains.’