Albanian Drug Trafficking Investigation Overlaps with Probe into Planned Resort that Sparked ‘Flamingo Revolution’

Mass protests against a planned luxury resort in Albania are into their third week and questions remain about mystery investors, while the daughter and son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump have both spoken publicly in support of the project.

Now, court documents from a drug trafficking investigation reveal an explosive new element to the scandal that has shaken the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The documents reveal that an individual who sold land for the resort development — planned in the protected Vjosa-Narta lagoon — is also targeted by prosecutors in the trafficking case.

Albania’s office for the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime, known as SPAK, said in a June 13 statement that it was seeking the arrests of 20 people allegedly involved in an international drug trafficking ring. While the public statement did not name the suspects or mention the planned resort, separate court filings provide more information.

A June 10 order by the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime — obtained by OCCRP’s Albanian member center, SHTEG — imposed a “preventative seizure” on a bank account holding more than 110 million euros ($127 million). According to the order, the funds originated from the sale of land “between parties Artur Shehu and Albanian Land Development sh.a.”

The order does not say who controls the account, but the court documents show that Shehu sold land earmarked for the resort project. Albanian Land Development is one of the companies involved in the resort development. The court does not implicate the company in any wrongdoing.

A separate court order identified Shehu as suspected of offences including laundering money, and participation in an organized crime group.

The document names Shehu and another person, stating that “there are sufficient indications of their involvement in narcotics trafficking.” It specifies that investigators suspect Shehu of laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking.

There is no evidence that Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, or any investors in the resort project, had knowledge of SPAK’s investigation or allegations against Shehu.

Shehu did not respond to detailed questions sent to his known companies. Albanian Land Development did not respond to a request for comment regarding the SPAK asset seizures.

Land ‘Conflicts’

Shehu and Albanian Land Development are also mentioned in a separate SPAK probe, which focuses specifically on property secured for the the luxury resort proposed for the Vjosa-Narta Protected Landscape — a lagoon on the Zvërnec peninsula, near the southern city of Vlorë.

Portonovo Beach and the surrounding landscape within the Vjosa-Narta lagoon area near Zvërnec, Albania, in June 2026.

A May 31 court decision authorized search warrants on premises related to individuals and companies that sold and facilitated the sale of land for the project. Prosecutors allege that much of land designated for the luxury resort was previously acquired using forged documents. The decision, obtained by reporters, states that Shehu sold property to Albanian Land Development.

Shehu told an Albanian TV program that he had sold the properties through a middleman, and did not know who the buyer was. He said his ownership of the land was “undisputed,” Reuters reported .

However, the May 31 court decision notes that there are “longstanding and ongoing conflicts over time among several individuals, residents of the area, who claim ownership” of land sold for the project.

The court decision authorized the search of the residence of Pullumb Petritaj, who prosecutors allege has acted as Shehu’s representative in land dealings.

“Pullumb Petritaj was convicted and has faced numerous judicial proceedings related to the falsification of documents for properties associated with citizen Artur Shehu,” the court document states.

Petritaj is reportedly appealing his convictions. He did not respond to requests for comment.

In a 2021 investigation , OCCRP documented how Shehu and his family members had acquired hundreds of hectares of land around the county of Vlorë — including in the same area where the resort is now planned — even though local residents claimed they were the true owners.

Butrint, Vlorë County, Albania.

Albanians have been caught up for decades in competing land claims — a legacy of the communists who nationalized property, and a subsequent spree of theft during attempts to return it to private ownership. A former director of the Real Estate Registration Office in Vlora told OCCRP in 2021 that separate court decisions have often granted the same land to different people.

That situation adds to an already bumpy road for the luxury development, which has been publicly championed by Rama, as well as Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

While media reports have suggested Kushner is financially involved in the resort project through his investment firm Affinity Partners, OCCRP has not found evidence of that. Affinit…