Special forces lie in wait: one of Gaxhai’s men is killed Residents of the Çole neighborhood have begun to flee. The net is closing in on Zani’s associates Police also crack down on drugs. 230 kilograms of narcotic plants seized Zani Çausi VLORË - Special forces kill a member of Gaxhai’s gang. After the battle, an entire arsenal of weapons was found in his car, which had Vlorë license plates. Besides the Zastava automatic rifle he was holding, with a belt of ammunition (three magazines connected to one another), a light machine gun with thousands of rounds, armor-piercing ammunition, a four-barrel grenade launcher, a crate of grenade-launcher shells, several hand grenades and a bulletproof vest were found inside the car. Four stolen license plates were also found in the car. They were from Fier and Durrës and, according to experts, correspond to four reports filed in those two cities. Greek and Albanian banknotes, as well as several telephone numbers, were also in the car. Çela’s car itself bore Vlorë plates, VL 0038A. The person killed was found to be highly sought by the police. Some time ago, he had used a weapon against a police officer. Jaup Likskëndaj had been detained for illegal possession of a weapon. On page 4

Teta accuses the generals who leaked the files TRANE - “I will seek criminal prosecution of those who have disclosed military secrets.” Perikli Teta, State Secretary for Policy at the Ministry of Defense, made this statement as a warning. Following the publication of several military files in the pages of a daily newspaper, Teta strongly denounced their publication in the press. He says this is prohibited by law, but explains that only after assessment by specialists can these files be made available to all newspapers. Yesterday, too, documents described as secret—dated to the period of the recent unrest—were leaked from the Ministry of Defense office. One of them speaks specifically of a plan to bomb Burrel prison, where Fatos Nano was being held. “I am not exerting pressure, nor am I calling anyone an old soldier; I say with conviction that I will seek criminal prosecution of all those military personnel who have disclosed the secrets.” This was stated by the No. 2 official in the Albanian Ministry of Defense, just days after the publication of several files concerning military plans from the time when Safet Zhulali was at the head of the Army. “This is something they are doing to leave their mistakes behind, but we forget that, in fact, this makes them even worse,” Teta commented. “You only have to read them, and it is not at all difficult to understand not only their truthfulness, but also what they reveal about the character of certain generals,” said the State Secretary for Policy in this particularly sensitive ministry. Arian Çani Teta Ministry of Defense

Stories of smuggling TIRANA - Çeka, enough with the provocations. “The Democratic Party issued another statement yesterday directed at the Minister of the Interior. According to the Democrats, Berisha Çeka ‘has now provoked several cities in northern Albania, such as Shkodër, Tropojë and Dibër.’ For the PD, such provocations are primitive and conceal the involvement of today’s state structures with the armed gangs that brought them to power. The Democrats’ protest urges Minister Çeka to stop ‘stabbing the police in the back and encouraging organized crime.’ According to the Democrats, cigarette smuggling in Velipojë is not carried out by the people of Shkodër, but by him and his colleagues in the Nano cabinet. You are continuing today your cooperation of yesterday with smugglers inside and outside Albania,” the protest issued yesterday by the PD’s central headquarters states.

IMF to Albanians: This is what is possible DEBTS / Illusions of 100 percent compensation fade TIRANA - “Without the help of the police, things will be very difficult for us at Customs.” These were among the first words spoken by the new head of the country’s customs service. The Director General of Customs, Gëzim Bleta, talks about the priorities, concerns and methods he intends to use in his new role, often citing figures as well. Professionalism on the job, cooperation with the security forces and with Directorate 21 are the pillars on which Bleta has decided to base his day-to-day work. Kapshticë, Kakavijë, Qafa Thanë and Durrës are expected to be the points from which the new Director will begin his “offensive.” Strict customs inspections, as well as a review of Customs personnel, will soon be put through the “sieve” of professional assessment. On page 3

Moments of tension and insults among MPs TIRANA - Parliament experiences moments of tension, insults and abuse. Just moments after Berisha and his parliamentary group arrived in the chamber, the MPs began shouting at one another. “You are criminals and thugs; you have no place in this chamber anymore.” The attack came from independent MP Maksim Hasani, who then continued with a heated exchange with MP Hajdari. The latter did not refrain from using harsh language of a kind not heard for years in the chamber of the Albanian Parliament. Berisha then delivered a long speech, setting out the political course the PD would follow in Parliament and harshly attacking the Socialists and their government program. At the end, the Assembly elected Jozefina Topalli as Deputy Speaker of Parliament. During yesterday’s altercation in Parliament On page 2

He had killed the owner over a glass of cognac KORÇË / AN ELUSIVE, MYSTERIOUS KILLER CAPTURED. SPECIAL FORCES’ “FLASH” OPERATION KORÇË - The deaf-mute killer is cornered in his hideout. A “flash” operation by Korçë police, carried out on Wednesday morning, succeeded in capturing the long-sought deaf-mute killer. The story began nine months earlier, when P.Gj. had killed the owner of a bar in the village where he lived. The motive for the killing was that the owner, G.B., “had not served the order quickly enough.” Without thinking twice, the deaf-mute had fired at the body of his fellow villager. Police arrived at the scene of the incident immediately and arrested the man accused of the murder. During the recent unrest, the deaf-mute had managed to escape from prison. Although P.Gj. had been missing for months, the criminal police, working with the security forces, organized a major operation to capture the dangerous deaf-mute killer. Reports came in that the killer was hiding in his home. The police set off for the area without delay and entered the house. But the deaf-mute had already managed to elude the police during the operation. After an exchange of gunfire between the two sides, he suddenly ran off toward a cave. This time, the police surrounded the cave where the killer was hiding. To everyone’s—and the killer’s—surprise, a police officer began communicating with him using sign language. The successful conclusion of the police operation brought him back into handcuffs. Albanë Çakshiri

From the bar to the crime. Here is the story of a tragic case. One of the police officers communicates with the man in custody using sign language