IT was a sight so grisly that onlookers initially thought the bloodied body hanging from a sign at the side of the road was a Halloween decoration.
They were gripped with terror when they realised the figure hanging from a billboard was a real person.
Albanian Bekim Halilaj, 29, is believed to have been murdered by his paymasters after losing a consignment of drugs – eight years after flooding Southampton with £4million worth of cocaine.
Halilaj’s lifeless body was found tied to a road sign on a major ring road in Brussels last month.
Experts told The Sun how his callous killing is a sign of escalating violence among Albanian gangs who have adopted tactics used by Mexican cartels.
South American gangsters are known for engaging in savage ‘shock and awe’ tactics such as hanging victims, beheadings and torture.
Victims of Albanian gangsters in the UK have been tortured, burned in cars, had their fingernails pulled out and simply vanished.
Ervin Karamuco, professor of criminology at Tirana state university in Albania, said Mexican assassins have become ‘consultants’ to the country’s leading gangsters.
He said: “Mexican cartel ‘schools’ of torture and lethal violence have become a blueprint for criminal networks, an extremely effective tool for imposing authority, terror and control over the drug trade.
“Instructors from the infamous Mexican training camps for sicarios (killers) now serve as consultants to allied groups that hire their ‘expertise’.
“Each year, these tactics are painstakingly adopted by Albanian criminal outfits that work with the cartels.
“The result? Police investigations grow far harder – these techniques are highly sophisticated and leave almost no trace.
“It’s well-established that Albanian so-called ‘ambassadors’ are staying in Latin America, not for tourism but to strike deals directly with the cartels.”
Bekim Halilaj was part of an organised crime gang that smuggled more than £4million of coke through Southampton. He was jailed for seven years in 2017 for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, along with three associates.
Southampton Crown Court heard that the cocaine, brought in from dealers in Essex, was of high quality, in some cases 91 per cent pure.
Halilaj was deported back home after his sentence but later moved to Belgium, where the authorities have launched an investigation into his death.
A source told Belgium news outlet RTL: “Halilaj was kidnapped, executed and hanged as a warning after the loss of a large drug shipment, with the clear message: ‘This is what happens if you try to harm us.’”
It’s not the first time Albanian gangs have employed techniques used by Mexican cartels.
South Americans have become numb to the sight of bodies hanging from bridges, which has been a regular occurrence since the early 2000s.
Decapitated heads were once thrown on to a dance floor, body parts have been found stored in freezers and burnt-out cars and on-the-spot executions are commonplace.
The most infamous of Mexico’s gangs is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which recruits impoverished kids as young as 15 and forces them to eat human flesh and hearts as part of a sick initiation ceremony.
In Britain, an Albanian gang kidnapped a fellow countryman and demanded £400,000 from relatives, torturing him and removing his fingernails.
The 30-year-old was held hostage for four days in a dispute over cannabis houses in East London in 2022.
He was freed when police stormed the house and five men and a woman were charged with kidnapping and threats to kill, but the case later collapsed when a key witness withdrew evidence at Harrow Crown Court.
Just one defendant was convicted in relation to the cannabis house operation. Nekid Arapi, 26, known as Kid Vlonjati, was given 16 months for possession for attempted sale of class B drugs.
Halilaj was kidnapped, executed and hanged as a warning after the loss of a large drug shipment, with the clear message: ‘This is what happens if you try to harm us.’
A source
Albanian cops said at the time: “The kidnapped man was beaten badly and his nails have been removed from his fingers.”
Gangsters meted out their own retribution when Arben Lleshi was jailed for a minimum of 32 years for killing an Albanian drug dealer.
Agim Hoxha, 27, was discovered in a burnt out car near Southampton in April 2012.
Police believe he was killed at a flat in the city before his body was set on fire in a Mercedes Benz, dumped in the nearby village of Chilworth.
Winchester Crown Court heard how cops discovered victim Hoxha was a drug dealer after finding £42,000 cash hidden in one of his two cars after his death.
Killer Lleshi, 27, was extradited to Albania to serve the rest of his jail sentence in 2016 but two years ago he was shot dead inside Peqin Prison, which hosts some of Albania’s most dangerous men.
An insider said: “There’s no doubt the shooting was linked to Lleshi’s criminal activities abroad.”
In another case, CCTV footage showed 28-year-old Aron Kato being chased and pushed to the ground in Ilford, east London. Police say he was then bundled into a dark BMW.
His 2019 disappearance has never been solved.
Insiders claim he was kidnapped and possibly murdered for his involvement in the robbery of a cannabis farm run by an Albanian gang.
A chilling TikTok video posted in May suggests that Aron’s friends kidnapped an Albanian and threatened him in an act of revenge.
Entitled Aaron (sic) Kato is now missing, it shows two masked men tapping their victim on the head with a knife before demanding he give his name.
It is followed by a rap about Aron and how his girlfriend had just given birth to a newborn son. A second related video, with the same rap, suggests the abducted man is a ‘gardener’ – someone who is employed to look after plants at a cannabis house.
Albanian veteran journalist Artan Hoxha, no relation to victim Agim, said the Belgium murder showed just how far gangsters are now willing to go.
He said: “It’s unbelievable that, in the heart of Europe, we are seeing incidents carried out like those committed by Mexican cartels.
“This shows the frightening lengths Albanian organised crime is ready to take.”
Official Saint Francis of Assisi College System Student Portal – New Login Homepage, Student Account, Mail, Application System, e-learning and lots more- Access the Saint Francis of Assisi College System – Las Piñas City Website below We(zainfo.co.za Team) are pleased to inform you about How to login to the Official Saint Francis of Assisi College […]
The post Saint Francis of Assisi College System Student Portal Login -stfrancis.edu.ph appeared first on ZA INFO.
Official Northwestern Visayan Colleges Student Portal – New Login Homepage, Student Account, Mail, Application System, e-learning and lots more- Access the Northwestern Visayan Colleges – Kalibo, Aklan Website below We(zainfo.co.za Team) are pleased to inform you about How to login to the Official Northwestern Visayan Colleges Student Portal Login, Sign up, create Students and Staff […]
The post Northwestern Visayan Colleges Student Portal Login -www.nvc.edu.ph appeared first on ZA INFO.
MARRIED At First Sight couple Reiss and Leisha are already at breaking point just 24 hours into their honeymoon.
Painter and decorator Reiss, 33, tied the knot with dental industry marketeer Leisha this week.
But the pair have struggled to hit it off, with Reiss left squirming as his new wife fired a series of questions at him at the reception.
In a preview clip for tonight’s show, Leisha and Reiss fail to see eye-to-eye as they discuss what the future holds for them.
During a boat trip, Leisha asks her husband: “Do you visualise me in your future?”
But her need for reassurance doesn’t go down well.
An annoyed Reiss responds: “I don’t need pressure yet, it’s so early.”
Speaking to the camera away from his wife, he vented: “I can’t believe Leisha just ask me that, is she joking?! F****** hell.”
After the pair exchanged their wedding rings and said their vows, the registrar declared: “Leisha and Reiss, it’s my huge pleasure to proudly announce you husband and wife.”
The new couple awkwardly leaned in for two kisses on the cheek before stepping back from one another.
Their guests looked on with confused looks on their faces as they clapped for the pair.
It appears the moment didn’t go unnoticed by viewers at home either as they flocked to Reddit to share their thoughts and they didn’t hold back.
Taking to the discussion platform, one person penned: “Most awkward kiss everrrrr,” as another agreed: “This is the most awkward kiss ever.”
Somebody else commented: “My god that was an awkward kiss,” as yet another who clearly isn’t a fan of Reiss said: “This guy is so up himself. Gross.”
A fifth added: “’I consider myself a pretty boy’ from the supermarket pickup artist. Feeling sick already.”
It wasn’t the only awkward moment on the E4 show, painter and decorator Reiss struggled as Leisha and her bridesmaid fired a series of questions at him.
During their wedding reception, Leisha asked her new husband: “What’s your exes been like?”
Reiss explained that his ex girlfriends have been “all different”, saying he focuses on a “connection”.
Leisha asked: “Do you get a lot of attention?,” to which he replied: “No, not really.”
Speaking to the camera away from her husband, Leisha said: “I’m so happy with how things are going with me and Reiss.
“It’s in my nature to ask these questions, so I’m just going to keep asking them and I truly want to get to know him to his core.”
Looking uncomfortable, Reiss was then quizzed by the bridesmaid, who asked: “So how many exes have you had?”
Reiss said he’s not one for dating apps and has been longing to be in a relationship.
He said: “Four exes, luckily I’ve never actually dated a psychos.”
They then asked if jealousy on his behalf had caused the relationships to end, which he insisted was not the case.
But the interrogation didn’t stop there. The bridesmaid then asked if he would like kids and Reiss replied: “100% yeah.”
This prompted Leisha to then press him on what he would call his child.
Reiss quickly replied: “Frankie,” which Leisha agreed was a good name.
Speaking in her confessional, Leisha said: “Him telling me he wants kids is a massive turn on for me, I’m ovulating.”
While Reiss felt very differently, saying the the camera: “It started off as a grilling, there’s a lot to take in.”
