Albanian gang used Rightmove to study floorplans to steal £3m of luxury jewellery, watches and handbags

A high-profile Albanian criminal gang has been jailed after using Rightmove to help people steal items worth £3 million from their homes.

Cheshire Police said the group was linked to at least 59 high-value thefts across the country, targeting wealthy people and stealing designer items such as jewellery, watches and handbags.

Four of the men were sentenced to more than 38 years in prison at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, while another is awaiting sentencing.

Detective Sergeant Laura Fox said: “All events were carefully planned, with the gang researching their targets before committing their crimes, even spreading their crime spree across multiple forces to avoid detection.

“The gang specifically targeted wealthy victims with the aim of stealing as much high-value property as possible. They even set weekly targets for the amount of gold they wanted to steal.”

Sussex Police told Independent He said criminals were using Rightmove to help choose targets, which could include floor plans of properties.

The investigation into the group began in October 2024 after police discovered a spate of burglaries in the east district of Cheshire, where criminals attempted to break in using ladders to access first-floor windows and balconies.

Police said they would then search the premises, stealing jewellery, designer bags, watches and cash.

Macclesfield detectives, with the help of forces across the country, were able to link the incidents in Cheshire to several other incidents across the UK thanks to shoe prints left at the scene.

Officers later discovered a red Ford Focus, insured by Kristian Gropcaj, 30, had been present at most of the incidents.

After reviewing phone records, police found he was in regular contact with other criminals and regularly met them at a cafe in Birmingham’s jewelery neighbourhood.

It was also revealed that one of the criminals, 29-year-old Endrit Nikolli, who will be sentenced next week, was in a relationship with 33-year-old Jade Tubb, who helped the group.

Tubb was sentenced to one year in prison and suspended for two years for possession of criminal property.

The agency’s organized crime unit carried out raids on various addresses, resulting in the arrest of 31-year-old George Pepa, Nikolli, Gropcaj and Tubb.

Officers seized 13 designer bags and 14 watches worth nearly £17,000 during the raids, as well as seizing a number of mobile phones containing hundreds of photographs of the stolen items.

Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, who was not present when the search warrant was executed, was later arrested in Surrey.

It was revealed in the messages that the sixth member of the gang, Sidorjan Lleshi (26), lived in Sheffield. Later, in September, his home was raided and he was arrested.

All six defendants were subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit theft and conspiracy to possess criminal property.

“Nikolli, Gropcaj, Dedndreaj, Pepa and Lleshi were responsible for the thefts, while Tubb was happy to spend their ill-gotten gains,” Ms Fox said.

“Throughout our investigation, it was clear that the gang had absolutely no regard for the impact their crimes would have on victims. Instead, they regularly boasted about their crimes and shared images of their ill-gotten gains.”

Cheshire Police has launched an appeal to find the owners of hundreds of suspected stolen items seized during the investigation.