Investigation into 16 tons of cannabis: How the file that could have been a "career trophy" faded

“How many grams of cannabis does it take to make a cigarette?” Theo Jacobs asked prosecutor Flora Çela, after her and SPAK’s submissions before the Special Appeals Chamber had been read. After thinking for a moment, Çela replied: “Two grams.”

Jacobs, who represented the IOM at Monday's hearing, corrected: "0.3 grams. One gram makes 3 cigarettes. 16 tons, 50 million cigarettes," he said.

After rhetorically asking the prosecutor about the number of inhabitants of Albania, Jacobs added that the amount of cannabis was enough for each of them, from the baby to the oldest, to smoke cannabis.

Jacobs' irony – that this amount of drugs could not be consumed in Albania – came in response to Çela's arguments that there was no suspicion or evidence of international trafficking in the file of the seizure of around 16 tons of cannabis in 2017 in Vlora.

This is one of the files she has investigated and for which ONM and SPAK are requesting her dismissal in the Special Appeals Chamber.

In the submissions read by Dumani, it is argued that Çela should have declared incompetence and referred the file to the former Serious Crimes Prosecutor's Office, as the quantity of drugs seized, 16 tons, raised suspicions that it was an international and organized trafficking.

Citing a series of inactions by the prosecutor in this case, as well as other issues, Dumani asked the College to dismiss her for "undermining public trust in justice."

Jacobs asked for the same thing.

"My heart bleeds for this file," he stressed, referring to the fact that the investigations had been weak and that incompetence was the mildest way to describe the case.

"This case should have been the crowning achievement of your career," he told Çela.

The prosecutor defended herself by insisting that she had carried out all possible investigative actions. She insisted that she had followed the procedure and that the decision-making was based on evidence and “is not in any of the conditions that could constitute a breach of public trust.”

Çela said that part of the seized narcotics had been broken, while emphasizing that he had personally participated in the police operation and was involved in a lengthy discussion with Dumani on the investigative actions that could be taken or had been taken in the specific case.

Çela was initially suspended by an interim decision of the Independent Qualification Commission in October 2023 and ordered to undergo one year of training at the School of Magistrates. A year after this training, the KPK, on ​​September 23, 2024, reasoned that Çela should be confirmed in office.

But after the Commission announced the decision, ONM recommended his appeal, insisting that the violations in the files investigated by Çela were such that they could not be corrected by retraining.

ONM vuri në dukje se vetëm në çështjen e kanabisit të kapur në vitin 2017 kishte 15 shkelje të rënda. Komisioneri Publik e ankimoi vendimin dhe drejtuesi i SPAK, Altin Dumani, që përmbush tani detyrat e Komisionerit, tha në seancë se i qëndronte ankimit dhe kërkesës për shkarkimin e Çelës.

Parashtrimet e Altin Dumanit

Dumani, që lexoi i pari para trupës së KPA-së me kryesuese Natasha Mulaj dhe anëtarë Albana Shtylla, Rezarta Schuetz, Sokol Çomo dhe Mirela Tasi, këmbënguli në seancë se gabimet e gjetura në hetimet e Çelës ishin të tilla që kërkonin shkarkimin.

“Trajtimi i rastit nga subjekti i rivlerësimit, më së paku, nxjerr në pah mangësi dhe hetim të dobët të kryer nga subjekti i rivlerësimit, çka ka bërë të pamundur zbardhjen e plotë të mekanizmit të ngjarjes dhe rolit e përgjegjësisë së secilit pjesëmarrës në të – situatë faktike e cila vë në dyshim serioz thelbin e vendimmarrjes së prokurores për akuzat e personave të përfshirë në procedimin penal”, tha Dumani ndër të tjera në parashtrime.

Duke iu referuar rastit të drogës së kapur, Dumani këmbënguli se vendimmarrja e Çelës, qoftë gjatë hetimit, qoftë në kërkesat për masa sigurie e të ngjashme, kishte probleme. Ai tha se çështja duhej të ishte referuar në ish-Prokurorinë e Krimeve të Rënda dhe, duke cituar qëndrimet e prokurores në KPK, vuri në dukje se ajo kishte pretenduar se referimi nuk ishte bërë pasi Krimet e Rënda ishin duke u mbyllur. Dumani tha se mbyllja ndodhi gati dy vjet pas këtij rasti dhe se arsyetimi nuk ishte bindës.

“Mbetet e paqartë pse një ndër veprimet operacionale më të mëdha antikanabis që është ndërmarrë në Shqipëri u nda në procedime të veçanta, duke e zbehur kështu rëndësinë e rastit dhe nuk u referua kurrë në zyrën e Prokurorisë kompetente, e cila në atë kohë ishte Prokuroria për Krime të Rënda”, tha Dumani.

Ai vuri në dukje se problemet e gjetura ishin të përsëritura.

Çela në parashtrime e kundërshtoi si të pabazuar ankimin. Fillimisht, ajo ngriti si argument se kriteri profesional ishte shqyrtuar dhe se rishqyrtimi i tij cenonte parimin e gjësë së gjykuar.

“Rishqyrtimi i sjelljes profesionale të subjektit, tashmë të trajtuar dhe mbyllur me vendim të formës së prerë, përbën një cenim të qartë të parimit ne bis in idem dhe sjell një pasiguri të pajustifikuar ligjore”, tha Çela, e cila i lexoi vetë parashtrimet, megjithëse në seancë u përfaqësua edhe nga avokatja Romina Zano.

Ajo këmbënguli se argumentet e Komisionerit nuk arrijnë të justifikojnë cenimin e besimit të publikut në drejtësi dhe tha se trajnimi i detyrueshëm kishte qenë në këtë rast një ndëshkim i mjaftueshëm si masë disiplinore.

Çela insisted that beyond the large quantity of narcotics seized, there was no evidence to qualify it as "international trafficking." "The material was not referred due to the lack of available information and did not qualify for the criminal offense of 'Trafficking in narcotics' provided for by Article 283/ai of the Criminal Code, for the subject to declare incompetence," the submissions state.

Çela also brought statistics of her work over several years and insisted that she had worked with dedication and professionalism. She said that she had not violated the trust in justice and requested that the decision of confirmation in office be upheld.

Debate at the KPA

After Jacobs' intervention, who pointed out that the large quantity of drugs was impossible to consume for internal use, Dumani and Çela engaged in a lengthy discussion on the investigative actions taken and those not taken.

"The quantity of drugs seized and its packaging alone show that we have a structured group," said Dumani, noting that classifying the offense as simply cultivating and possessing narcotics was flawed.

Çela insisted that the evidence was insufficient. She said that the arrestees were not directly linked to the drugs and that half of it was rotten.

Dumani, however, insisted that her stances on seeking security measures and failing to carry out a series of checks, including failing to compare fingerprints, indicated problems.

In this case, Çela claimed that the fingerprints were automatically compared in the system.

The two also discussed the way Çela was defended in the KPK, which Dumani said had inaccuracies, such as the time of the closure of the Serious Crimes Prosecution Office.

In the end, the KPA agreed to accept the documents submitted by the subject as new evidence and set a hearing for reading the conclusions on July 14. Reporter.al