A "Bonnie and Clyde" Albanian crime gang who stole £1 million worth of goods from wealthy property owners across the UK were caught after posing in photos with wads of cash and stolen designer jewellery.

Endrit Nikolli, 27, Kristian Gropcaj, 30, George Lleshaj, 31, Krisjian Dedndreaj, 28, and Sidorjan Lleshi, 26, targeted large homes and mansions across several counties - including Warwickshire - in a series of high-value burglaries. 

Detectives from several forces linked the gang to at least 44 burglaries across the country between December 2023 and July last year. 

A court heard they would set weekly targets for the amount of gold that they wanted to steal while Nikolli and his British girlfriend Jade Tubb, 33, wrote love letters referring to each other as "Bonnie and Clyde."

The burglars would typically gain entry by using ladders to access first floor windows and balconies before ransacking properties, stealing jewellery, designer handbags, watches and cash.

The estimated total value of the items stolen is in excess of £1 million and while some items have been recovered, the vast majority are believed to have been sold on for fast cash.

The gang were rumbled when police launched an investigation into a series of burglaries across the eastern area of Cheshire, including incidents in Macclesfield, Weston and Willaston and Prestbury - home to many Premier League footballers.

Other force areas reported similar incidents across Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire and detectives were able to link all the break-ins through footwear marks left at the scenes.

Officers then used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles which were present at all of these burglaries - including a red Ford Focus which was insured to Gropcaj.

They also found that a hire car booked by Tubb had been used during many of the other burglaries.

Telephone checks revealed Gropcaj was in regular contact with Nikolli, Dedndreaj, and Lleshaj and the men met on a regular basis at a coffee shop in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham.

Cops were also able to establish that Nikolli was in a relationship with British woman Jade Tubb, 33, who has since pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess criminal property.

Traces of DNA from Nikolli had also been found at the scene of one burglary in Staffordshire.

Police carried out a series of raids at addresses in Walsall, Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham, and arrested Nikolli, Lleshaj, Gropcaj and Tubb.

Dedndreaj was later arrested in Surrey by officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit at Cheshire Constabulary.

During the raids officers recovered 13 designer handbags, along with 14 watches worth almost £17,000.

Several mobile phones were also recovered and officers found hundreds of images of the stolen items, along with messages which contained links to Google maps showing the scenes of the burglaries.

This included nine in Derbyshire, eight in Cheshire, two in Cleveland, two in Leicestershire, five in Nottinghamshire, seven in Staffordshire, two in Warwickshire and nine in West Mercia.

Officers also recovered messages which showed there was a sixth member of the gang – Sidorjan Lleshi, who was living in Sheffield. 

A raid was conducted at Lleshi's home on September 3 last year where the 26-year-old was arrested.

All six defendants were later charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to possess criminal property.

They pleaded guilty to the charges at Chester Crown Court on November 28 last year and on Tuesday (6/1).

Dedndreaj, Nikolli, and Lleshaj, of Walsall; Gropcaj, of Birmingham; and Lleshi, of Sheffield, were all remanded and will be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on February 20.

Tubb, also of Walsall, was released on bail. She will also be sentenced on February 20.

Temporary Detective Inspector Ryan McVeigh, of Derbyshire Police, said: "This has been a long and complex investigation involving numerous police forces – and is a prime example of how effective partnership working really is.

"Criminals need to know that just because you are operating across different borders, this doesn't mean that you will go unnoticed under our noses.

"Police forces have always, and will continue to, work in collaboration. If you are committing crimes across multiple borders – we will know about.

"This group caused misery for a lot of people across several counties, including in Derbyshire, by stealing high-value and sentimental belongings.

"I am pleased to see that our relentless investigation, working in co-operation with colleagues across the region had led to this group being brought to justice."

Detective Sergeant Laura Fox, of Macclesfield Proactive CID, said: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues at Derbyshire Police, Staffordshire Police and Nottinghamshire Police for all the support that they have provided. 

"This investigation is a result of a detailed collaboration between forces across several months, with an unwavering commitment and tenacity to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

"Nikolli, Gropcaj, Dedndreaj, Lleshaj,Lleshi and Tubb were all members of a high-level organised crime gang responsible for at least 44 high value burglaries across the UK.

"All of the incidents were carefully orchestrated, with the gang researching their targets before committing their crimes, even expanding their crime spree across multiple forces in an effort to go undetected.

"The gang specifically targeted wealthy victims, with the aim of stealing as much high value property as possible. Between them, they even set weekly targets for the amount of gold that they wanted to steal.

"Nikolli, Gropcaj, Dedndreaj, Lleshaj and Lleshi were all responsible for conducting the burglaries, while Tubb was happy to spend their ill gotten gains.

"During the searches, we recovered letters between Nikolli and Tubb, in which the pair described themselves as 'Bonnie and Clyde', in reference to how they were working together to conduct the burglaries.

"Throughout our investigation it has been clear that the gang had absolutely no regard for the impact that their offences would have on the victims. 

"Instead they regularly gloated about their crimes and shared images of ill-gotten gains.

"Thankfully, as a result of the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation, all six defendants had no option but to plead guilty to the charges and are now facing the consequences of their actions."