Organised gang behind £1m burglary series jailed

Four Albanian men and a British woman have been sentenced to more than 38 years in prison for the roles they played in a high value series of burglaries during which about £1m worth of goods were stolen.

Kristian Gropcaj (30), George Lleshaj (31), Krisjian Dedndreaj (28), Sidorjan Lleshi (26), and Jade Tubb (33) were sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Monday 13 April and Tuesday 14 April.  

Here is a breakdown of their sentences:-

• Dedndreaj, of Crabtree Road, Walsall, jailed for 9 years for conspiracy to commit burglary and a concurrent sentence of 5 years for conspiracy to possess criminal property.
• Lleshaj, of Crabtree Road, Walsall, jailed for 9 years for conspiracy to commit burglary and a concurrent sentence of 4½ years for conspiracy to possess criminal property.
• Lleshi, of Durlstone Drive, Sheffield, jailed for 10 years and 9 months for conspiracy to commit burglary, one count of burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property. An additional 15 counts of burglary were also taken into consideration.
• Gropcaj, of Gas Street, Birmingham; jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to commit burglary and a concurrent sentence of 5½ years for conspiracy to possess criminal property.
• Tubb, also of Crabtree Road, Walsall, sentenced to one year in prison suspended for two years, for possession of criminal property.

A sixth defendant Endrit Nikolli (29), of Crabtree Road, Walsall, is due to be sentenced on Wednesday 29 April.

Following a complex and lengthy investigation involving several different police forces, officers were able to link the gang to at least 59 burglaries across the UK.

This included nine in Derbyshire, eight in Cheshire, two in Cleveland, two in Leicestershire, five in Nottinghamshire, seven in Staffordshire, two in Warwickshire and nine in West Mercia.

Across Derbyshire they targeted three properties in Quarndon, two in Derby, plus others in Allestree, Ridgeway, Holmesfield and Duffield.

The estimated total value of the items stolen is in excess of £1 million and while some items have been recovered, the vast majority are believed to have been sold on.

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.

The investigation into the organised gang commenced in October 2024 after the Neighbourhood Acquisitive Crime Team (NACT), based in Chesterfield, identified a pattern of high-value burglaries occurring across Derbyshire. In response, a dedicated team was established to focus on this series of offences.

Investigators liaised with neighbouring police forces and other regions reporting similar incidents, enabling a coordinated approach to tackling the criminal activity.

During the investigation, Staffordshire Police recovered DNA evidence at the scene of a burglary, which was later identified as belonging to Nikolli. Thanks to the intelligence-sharing and links established between the forces, the collaborative team was able to focus their inquiries on him.

Officers used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles which were present at all of the incidents.

Through this work, officers discovered that a red Ford Focus which was insured to Gropcaj had been present during many of the incidents. They also found that a hire car booked by Tubb had been used during many of the other burglaries.

Telephone checks were subsequently conducted on Gropcaj which revealed he had been in regular contact with Nikolli, Dedndreaj, and Lleshaj. Further enquiries revealed that the four men had been meeting on a regular basis at a coffee shop in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham.

In addition, officers were also able to establish that Tubb was in a relationship with Nikolli.

Following a culmination of months of investigation work, on Wednesday 2 July last year, officers from Derbyshire NACT, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, and Cheshire forces led a series of raids at addresses in Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, leading to the arrests of Nikolli, Lleshaj, Gropcaj and Tubb.

Dedndreaj was not present at the time of the warrants, but he was later arrested in Surrey by officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit at Cheshire Constabulary.

During the raids officers recovered 13 designer handbags, along with 14 watches worth almost £17,000.

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

Further enquiries uncovered messages revealing a sixth member of the gang, Sidorjan Lleshi, who was living in Sheffield.

Acting on this intelligence, a team comprising of officers from Derbyshire NACT, Cheshire and Nottinghamshire police executed a warrant at Lleshi’s address on Wednesday, 3 September, last year.

The 26-year-old was arrested at the scene, and officers recovered mobile phones and additional property. Some of these items have since been confirmed as stolen during the burglaries, alongside equipment believed to have been used during the offences.

The five Albanian men were charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property and admitted the charges during hearings at Chester Crown Court on Friday 28 November 2025 and on Tuesday 6 January 2026.

Nikolli and Lleshi also both admitted one additional count of burglary, in relation to two burglaries in Staffordshire in March 2024 and December 2023.

British woman Tubb pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess criminal property on Wednesday 7 January.

Following their sentencing hearing, Temporary Detective Inspector Ryan McVeigh said: “Burglary is an invasive crime that can have long-lasting effects on victims, and this is something we never lose sight of.

“While these sentences cannot undo what has happened, I hope they provide reassurance that we will always strive to bring those responsible to justice.

“This group operated as a highly organised network of burglars, deliberately researching properties and victims to target homes for items of significant financial and sentimental value.

“They spread their offending across several counties in an attempt to evade detection, but the collaborative approach taken during this investigation ensured that vital information and evidence were shared, ultimately leading to their identification and prosecution. I would like to thank all the forces involved for their dedication and tenacity throughout this case.

“We remain committed to reducing burglary and pursuing offenders wherever they reside. If they commit crimes in Derbyshire, we will do everything possible to identify and apprehend them.”

Cheshire police have now launched an appeal to trace the rightful owners of hundreds of suspected stolen items which were recovered during the investigation.

These include designer handbags, jewellery, watches and clothing, as well as other items.

For more details visit - Operation Ambler - Detectives appeal to reunite stolen property with rightful owners | Cheshire Constabulary

For crime prevention advice on how to help keep burglars out of your property please visit:- Keep burglars out of your property | Derbyshire Constabulary