A 25-year-old Albanian man was wounded in Italy in a shooting that, according to Italian investigators, was organized after he decided to break away from drug trafficking and work in construction. Two Albanian citizens have been arrested, while the case file sheds light on an escalation of violence that, according to prosecutors, had begun months earlier.
Two arrests after the attack in Mirano
Italian authorities have arrested Luigj Makaj, 44, and Armiol Gjoka, 40, as suspected perpetrators of the attack on the young Albanian man. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Makaj is suspected of having organized the shooting, while Gjoka, known by the nickname “Molli,” is suspected of having fired the gun.
At the center of the investigation is the sequence of events on the evening of July 1 in Mirano, near Venice, where the young man was targeted after, according to the investigative version, he had refused to continue distributing narcotics.
Leaving the criminal group and the threats
According to Italian media reports and the investigation so far, the 25-year-old had secured a job in the construction sector and had decided to leave the group with which he had previously worked. That decision, investigators say, was followed first by threats and then by an armed attack.
Prosecutors suspect that the breaking of ties with the criminal network was not accepted by his former associates, turning his departure into an open conflict. At this stage, these remain elements of the investigative version.
Not the first episode, earlier attacks too
The case file shows that the July attack was not the first incident. Several months earlier, in late February and early March, armed individuals had also opened fire on the young man and his partner.
To escape the attacks, the two had taken shelter in a trailer on the property of the woman’s father. This detail strengthens investigators’ suspicion that this was a sustained pursuit and not a случайный clash.
How the attack happened and the charges
On the evening of the attack, the 25-year-old was confronted by the two suspects, who ordered him to stop. He tried to run away, but was chased and shot at close range, with the bullet striking him between the neck and the shoulder.
According to the investigative file, even after he fell wounded to the ground, one of the attackers pointed the gun at his head. The two left only when emergency crews arrived at the scene.
After about a month of investigations involving wiretaps, surveillance, and analysis of phone communications and social media, the carabinieri tracked down and arrested the two Albanians. They face an attempted murder charge, while the investigation remains open into the full motives and circumstances of the incident.
The case once again highlights the violence accompanying clashes within Albanian criminal networks in Italy, even when one of the individuals tries to break away from them.
At this stage, the version of events is based on the investigation by the Italian authorities, while criminal responsibility remains to be assessed by the courts.