Notorious Albanian Pimp, Wanted for Crimes, Freely Roams British Streets Following Unsuccessful Extradition Attempt Four Years Ago
In a surprising turn of events, Gezim Troka, known as Albania's "most wanted pimp," is currently living freely in the UK four years after losing his extradition battle. Troka, who was convicted for forced prostitution and exploitation, has evaded deportation or expulsion from the UK authorities.
The saga began in 1994 when Troka entered into a relationship with a woman and used physical and psychological violence to force her into prostitution. He was sentenced to a year and four months in prison in Italy in 1995 for exploitation and favoring prostitution. However, Troka managed to slip through the cracks and was only caught ten years later when he was convicted of common assault.
British officials initially granted Albania's extradition request for Troka, but he was able to appeal and take his case to the High Court. In December 2021, the High Court threw out Troka's extradition appeal. Despite this, Albanian officials are now considering whether to withdraw their extradition request, potentially allowing Troka to remain in the UK permanently.
Meanwhile, another Albanian crime boss, Roland Cankaj, was found guilty of running a London brothel staffed by trafficked Brazilian women in a rare prosecution in 2022. Cankaj, who forced women to have sex with up to 15 men a day, was convicted following a six-day trial at Croydon Crown Court. Six victims were identified in total, including a Brazilian beautician who was lured to the UK by the offer of work before being made to have sex with between 10 and 15 men a day, with Cankaj taking half the money.
The Met began investigating an organised crime group called the 'Cankaj Brotherhood' in 2022 and found it had been trafficking women into the UK to work in the sex trade. Albanian organised crime expanded to the UK by the 2000s, dominating Soho's red-light district and opening their own brothels. While under police surveillance, Cankaj was seen moving the women between different addresses and taking provocative pictures of them outside London landmarks to use in adverts.
In 2008, Albanian pimps were photographed selling a woman outside Selfridges on Oxford Street for £3,000. Police later raided the brothel run by Cankaj in Tower Hamlets and found a number of items associated with sex work. Troka continued to exploit his partner even after serving a partial sentence in Italy.
Despite these criminal activities, there is no public information confirming that Troka has ever been expelled or deported by authorities in the UK. The case of Gezim Troka raises questions about the effectiveness of the UK's extradition process and the handling of organized crime by the authorities.
