Robbery of the Northern State Treasury
| Part of the |
| Albanian Civil War |
|---|
| Fighting groups |
| Gangs of 1997 |
| Massacres in 1997 |
| Tragedies of 1997 |
| Treasury thefts |
| Rescue missions |
|
| UN Resolutions |
| Important events |
| See also |
The Stealing of Northern State Treasury (Albanian: Grabitja e Thesarit të Veriut) was the theft of approximately US$6 million from the Albanian treasury in Shkodër in 1997. The event was described as the one of the greatest robberies in the history of the Balkans.[1]
The event
The incident happened in March 1997 during the Albanian Civil War, when a group of six people attacked the fortified building of the State Treasury with an antitank weapon. The total amount of money that was inside the building was US$8 million, but the robbers only managed to acquire US$6 million. The few police still in the city soon arrived at the scene and took control of the remaining assets. Later, the thieves were seen by several witnesses meeting at the outskirts of Shkodër, where they divided the money between themselves.[1]
Investigations
After the robbery, the police and investigators began investigations in Shkodër. In the spring of 1998, more than a year later, the investigators closed the file and it was given to the police for further investigation. The perpetrators of this crime are still unknown to this day.[1]