Kosovo gun thefts fuel illegal arms trade to Albanian crime networks
Thousands of pistols disappearing from Kosovo gun shops and ranges are ending up in Albanian criminal circles, prompting arrests and investigations on both sides of the border.
A Kallxo.com probe disclosed that legal gaps and inadequate border monitoring enable large numbers of pistols imported into Kosovo to disappear from licensed dealers and shooting ranges, subsequently surfacing in Albania's black-market arms trade. Albanian State Police data show ten Kosovo citizens were detained for firearms trafficking during 2025 and the first half of 2026, and another individual remains wanted; seized weapons were mainly Turkish and Italian pistols.
Parallel investigations in Kosovo highlight two striking cases: about 800 guns vanished from a Fushë Kosova shop and 53 pistols disappeared from a Gjilan outlet, both owners now under prosecution. Experts such as Redion Qiriazi and Fatjona Mejdini explain that organised crime groups in Albania maintain a constant appetite for cheap, easily hidden pistols, exploiting Kosovo's looser gun-possession penalties and the near-open border.
The cross-border route, reportedly passing through Greece and North Macedonia, links Turkish suppliers to Albanian buyers, while conversion of gas pistols into functional firearms adds another layer of risk. Authorities call for stricter oversight and harsher penalties to curb the flow of illegal weapons across the Western Balkans.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage frames the issue as Kosovo gun thefts enabling illegal arms flow to Albanian crime networks, while centrist coverage frames it as a probe into Albania’s defense industry and alleged state-linked trafficking.
LEFT
Frames the story as a cross-border criminal pipeline driven by legal gaps and weak border monitoring, stressing the scale of stolen pistols and Kosovo-Albania trafficking links.
CENTER
Frames the story as a domestic investigation into Albania’s expanding arms sector, highlighting probes of state-linked defense firms, a businessman, and political recordings alleging trafficking.
The left emphasises
- legal gaps and inadequate border monitoring enable pistols to disappear from licensed dealers
- large numbers of guns vanished - about 800 in Fushë Kosova and 53 in Gjilan
- detention of ten Kosovo citizens for firearms trafficking, linking thefts to Albanian black-market networks
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