Ervis Martin and Leonard Duke, self-styled as “Prince Damian”, seemed to have nothing to separate them.
Their friendship was raising them to the top of the criminal world, they controlled gambling together, a business of hundreds of millions of euros and drug trafficking.
They sent large quantities of cocaine and cannabis to EU countries. Media VNA has published the photo of Leonard Duke and Ervis Martinaj in the times when they were close to each other and taking a boat ride in the sea.
But after their criminal power grew so much, suspicions of treason in the business began, so much so that Ervis Martinaj began to think that his friend Leonard Duka was earning more from the deliveries.
The crisis started when a load of drugs was seized in Germany, the narcotics had been sent by truck under the care of Martinaj to Albania and were to be received by the Duke, but were caught on the way by the German police.
Ervis Martinaj suspected that his friend was cheating. He asked for the news of the truck’s capture and when he failed to confirm his friend’s version, he was convinced that the Duke had thrown it to him.
As a sign of revenge, Martinaj went to his friend’s house, where he had been dozens of times, and took his father hostage, whom he tortured.
For Leonard Duka, this was the end of a friendship and the start of an open conflict, which continues to claim lives. He swore to Ervis Martinaj that he would never forgive him for this.
But who is Leonard Duka and how did the bloody conflict between the clan that bears his last name and Ervis Martinaj begin?
Erlis Duka together with his brother Leonard Duka injure 34-year-old Eduard Duka. He was on the sidewalk in front of a bar in the Kinostudio area, when he was shot. Witnesses said that Eduard Duka was shot with a pistol by a person who was moving on a motorcycle and had a spacesuit on his head.
The driver of the motorcycle was someone else, also with a spacesuit on his head. Then the two left in the direction of Fresco. The assassination came a month after a physical conflict that the injured, together with his brother, Rigert Duka had with the two brothers Leonard and Erlis Duka. Despite the same last name – they are not related to each other by blood.
In a bar in Kinostudio, two brothers, Rivelino and Juxhin Mumajesi, are injured. Residents of the area reported over 15 gunshots, coming from a betting shop inside the neighborhood. In addition to two brothers aged 36 and 24, citizen Ibrahim Durollari, aged 28, was also injured there.
The police escorted 23 people at that time. While in the media, the emir of Santiago Malko was portrayed as the person who fired the gun. A video was even published showing two people shooting at the brothers and their friend.
The video shows the start of the conflict outside the premises of the betting shop. Rivelino Mumajesi is seen lying on the ground, covered in blood, while at the bottom of the stairs is Santiago Malko with a pistol in his hand. One of the people who shoots is Santiago Malko, while the person accompanying him is Erigers Mihasi, who was also executed in another assassination attempt.
The event at the time was suspected of shoplifting. While after her, the brothers Leonard and Erlis Duka came on stage, as they were known for their friendship with the wounded. In the materials of the investigative file related to this event, it is said that it is proven that the citizen Santiago Malko participated in the injury.
Also, in the file it is said that Malko also beat Erlis Duka, in a bar in the area of the former Block. For both of these events, the directives were given by Ervis Martinaj. As was rumored for another event, for which there was never any report.
It was said that on the orders of Ervis Martinaj, Santiago Malko had taken a hostage for several hours and raped the father of the Duka brothers. Apparently, the fact that it had not been reported, indicated that everything would be resolved privately.
The name of Santiago Malko also appears in the file of the event of October 4, 2018, in the area of the former Block, where Fabian Gaxha was killed and Ervis Martinaj and Eljon Hato were injured. However, even though it has been proven that Malko was present at that event, it has not been proven that he was involved. After these events, preparations began to attack Ervis Martinaj.
A few months ago, the Court of Tirana convicted three people who informed the “Duka” clan about the movements of Ervis Martinaj. These persons, including a woman, were sentenced to 2 years in prison for the charge of “Providing the conditions to commit murder”. The decision of the Tirana court came at a time when nothing is known about the fate of the businessman, Ervis Martinaj, who was reported as missing to the Laçi Police on August 9, 2022. According to the Court’s decision, it is proven that Martinaj tried to was killed by the “Duka” clan on two occasions.
From the acts that occurred in the prosecutor’s file, it appears that: Davison Serjani is engaged to the citizen Nancy Shaqiri. She worked in a travel agency on the street “Myslym Shyri” where she sold travel tickets, tourist packages, hotel accommodations abroad, etc.
Citizen Davison Serjani has a first cousin, citizen Daut Elmazi (my uncle’s son). It also turned out that citizen Ardjan Ahmeti and citizen Daut Elmazi know each other and are cousins. The result is that the three defendants know each other mainly through the citizen Daut Elmazi as a common contact.
From Nancy Shaqiri’s statements, it has emerged that, through Daut Elmaz, she and her fiance Davison have established contacts with Leonard Duka and Fatmir Hysen. These two citizens had planned the physical elimination of the citizen Ervis Martinaj and for the organization of the murder they needed information from the defendants regarding his movements abroad.
Nancy Shaqiri has admitted that in exchange for information they would receive a monetary reward. It turns out that on two occasions information was given regarding Ervis Martinaj’s travel plans. Once, the information was forwarded to the citizen Fatmir Hyseni, for an introduction of Martinaj with the route Pristina-Istanbul-Dubai.
While the next time the information was forwarded to Leonard Duka, for a flight scheduled Athens-Istanbul-Valencia). According to Nancy Shaqiri’s statements, Leonard Duka paid her and Davison Serjani the sum of 30,000 euros.
On the other hand, the file also explains the role of Ardjan Ahmet. He worked as an IT specialist in the Durrës Police Directorate as well as in the General Directorate of the State Police, in the period 2015-2019.
According to his statements, it turns out that Daut Elmazi connected him with Fatmir Hysen. Dauti asked Ardjani to introduce himself to Fatmir Hyseni as a police officer and to tell him that he is providing information regarding Ervis Martinaj’s movements outside the territory of Albania.
He also promised a monetary reward for this service. Ardjani met with Fatimir Hyseni and communicated Dauti’s order.
From the meeting he had with Fatmir Hysen, Ardjan Ahmeti received an “Enkro” mobile phone. While Dauti told him that the information regarding Ervis Martinaj’s movements was being provided by Nancy Shaqiri and Davison Serjani.
From the transcripts of the telephone intercepts dated June 15, 2019, the confirmations of the statements of the citizens Dejvison Serjani, Nancy Shaqiri and Ardjan Ahmeti result.
In the framework of this procedure, help has been requested through letter orders from the Turkish authorities to confirm flights and accommodation for citizens Ervis Martinaj, Leonard Duka, Erlis Duka, Fatmir Hyseni, Igli Memaj, Gentjan Dautaj (Zoto).
From the returns-answers administered in the dossier, it appears that these citizens have traveled on the same respective dates when it is assumed that the assassination that was being planned was carried out. Even their accommodation results in the same place. However, due to the lack of proper coordination, Ervis Martinaj escaped the organized assassination.
Executed inside his car, in an organized assassination attempt on “Xhanfize Keko” street, Santiago Malko. Since they failed to kill Ervis Martinaj, the “Duke” clan organized an assassination attempt where his trusted man was killed.
Blendi Teta, the person arrested for not reporting a crime, has shown that he was having dinner in the basement of a bar, in the area of Fresk, near the cable car. The bar is owned by brothers Leonard and Elris Duka.
That day they stayed in the basement of this bar, where there is an area that serves as an office. According to the testimony of Blendi Teta, the only person convicted of the incident so far, around 8:00 p.m., Leonardi and Erlisi said: “Get up, we have work to do.”
They all went out together and got into two cars. The first “Golf 5”, gray in color and the second, “Skoda”, which was found hidden in a parking lot near the directorate of the former forester on “Dalip Topi” street.
In the first place of Skoda, the Blendi Teta is sitting. The car moved from IKV’s Fresku to the Traffic Police Station, exited onto “Myslym Keta” street and then headed to Police Station No. 4.
The Golf has also arrived there. In a few minutes, the cars drove in the direction of the Allias intersection, then continued moving on the road next to the wall of the United School in the direction of Oxhak. There they turned right on the Kongresi i Manastir street in the direction of SHISH.
Vehicle movements are mostly focused on by the security cameras of various businesses. When “Skoda” was at hospital no. 5, one of the people in the car asked the driver to change the direction of movement, saying: “go back because he parked at the bins”.
On “Xhanfize Keko” street, they saw the “BMW X5” car.
Afterwards, Blendi Teta says that he left for home after realizing that something bad was going to happen. The dynamics of the event were revealed through security cameras. On January 27, the footage of the security cameras that recorded the murder of Santiago Malko was shown for the first time in the Special Court.
The event was recorded by the camera of a car wash in the Porcelan area, where the car of the assassins can be seen. From the footage that was shown in the court session, it seems that the perpetrators first signaled with lights to Malko to stop.
The moment he stops, they shoot him with Kalashnikov volleys from inside the car. Then the “BMW X5” car, where Sanjago Malko was, moves for a few seconds and collides with the garbage can.
For the murder of Santiago Malko, Blendi Teta was sentenced to 25 years in prison, the first to be arrested for the incident and tried in a separate trial as an accomplice in the murder. According to the investigative file, the executor is suspected to be Fatmir Hyseni from Vlora, who is wanted.
Meanwhile, the brothers of the Duka clan, Leonard and Erlis Duka, are accused as organizers, for whom the trial has started in absentia. Santiago Malko was allegedly executed by Ervis Martinaj’s rival group, due to his close ties with the latter. At the end of the investigation, it emerged that the cause of his murder was rivalry in the illegal sports lottery business.
Seizure of Ervis Martinaj’s assets
On Wednesday, the state police and SPAK launched the operation to seize the assets of Ervis Martinaj. The decision was given by the Special Court at the request of the prosecutors who are conducting investigations regarding the “Golden Bullet” file.
34 assets in the name of Martinaj and his family members have been placed in sequestration. It is about several commercial companies, land areas, apartments, cars and bank accounts. Martinaj has been declared wanted since May last year as one of the persons accused by SPAK.
His name emerged from the testimony of Nuredin Duman, who agreed to cooperate with the prosecutor’s office to clarify some criminal events. Dumani told the investigators that Martinaj offered him 500,000 euros to kill Endrit Dokla, but the assassination failed. Although Martinaj was wanted internationally since May, three months later the family members reported to the Police that they had lost contact and suspected that other rival groups could have eliminated him.
“In Albania until now, it has been a story that leaves much to be desired, for me a big nothing, and many are seized and nothing goes to the state, they are seized and they are still released. Ervis Marinaj has seen both the time when gambling was allowed and those when it was not. Vis Martinaj was introduced to the world of crime, as someone who gets things a little messy. As a society we are lucky that crime kills one another. If crime had found a language with each other, the criminal situation in Albania would be much worse. It is estimated that the turnover is around 1 million euros per day in all of Albania”, said journalist Ferdinand Dervishi.
After Leonard Duka’s arrest in Belgium, his brother Erlisi and 3 other people are still being sought. Although there is an official charge only for the murder of Santiago Malko, the name of Leonard Duke was the first to be mentioned after the successive eliminations of Ervis Martinaj’s men.
Recently, his name was also mentioned after the disappearance of Martinaj. Although expectations are low, the investigative group is eagerly awaiting the testimony of Leonard Duka, when he will be extradited to our country. Whether he will speak or not remains a mystery, just like the fate of Ervis Martinaj./pamfleti.net
