Albanian Crime Duo Jailed Over Sky-High People-Smuggling Ring
Two Albanian nationals from Leyton have been locked up after a massive eight-year probe by the National Crime Agency (NCA) uncovered their role in a ruthless migrant smuggling syndicate.
Sky-High Smuggling via Light Aircraft
Myrteza Hilaj, 50, and his right-hand man Kreshnik Kadena, 37, masterminded at least nine migrant journeys in 2016 and 2017. Shockingly, three of these were by light aircraft, flying migrants from Calais straight into an Essex aerodrome.
Hilaj acted as the UK coordinator for the sprawling international crime group, while Kadena handled the airborne operations, even fetching migrants from Stapleford airfield after landing.
£10,000 a Ticket into the UK – Fake Docs and Clean Getaways
Phone intercepts revealed the pair charged around £10,000 per Albanian migrant to slip them into the country. They didn’t stop there—Hilaj supplied counterfeit passports, fake ID cards, and bogus utility bills to help migrants settle undetected.
Hilaj also made sure vehicles transporting migrants dropped them off at discreet spots and slipped away without raising suspicion.
Arrests and Sentencing
The operation finally came crashing down in July 2017. After French police intercepted a planned flight, NCA surveillance caught Hilaj and Kadena meeting in a pub to regroup.
Both men were arrested days later at their homes. Officers found Hilaj in possession of numerous fake ID documents and phone messages fine-tuning the forgeries, alongside online searches about the interdicted flight. Kadena was caught with cannabis and a security fob to the Essex airfield.
Today at Southwark Crown Court, Hilaj was sentenced to three years and six months, while Kadena got one year and eight months behind bars.
