Ivanka Trump-Jared Kushner's Albania Resort Controversy: Inside the Drug Money, Forged Documents Allegations

Albanian prosecutors are investigating Miami businessman Artur Shehu, who sold land for the resort, for possible money laundering tied to drug trafficking.

A luxury resort project in Albania backed by Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump has encountered a fresh challenge after Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors alleged that land connected to the development may have been acquired using forged ownership documents. Albania’s Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) is investigating Miami-based businessman Artur Shehu, who sold a stretch of coastline earmarked for the planned multi-billion-dollar resort earlier this year.

According to court documents reviewed by Reuters, prosecutors said there were “reasonable suspicions” that assets linked to the transaction had been obtained through falsified property records. They also alleged that Shehu and associates laundered money connected to international drug trafficking and accused them of trafficking South American cocaine into Europe before investing the proceeds in real estate.

Shehu has denied the allegations.

His lawyer, Kujtim Cakrani, told Reuters that his client is “neither a drug trafficker nor a forger of property documents” and said the accusations were false.

Locals who claim to own the land where the luxury resort is planned stand at the bay of the Vjosa-Narta Protected Area.

Neither Jared Kushner nor Ivanka Trump has been accused of any wrongdoing, and Reuters said it found no indication that the project’s investors were aware of any concerns surrounding Shehu when the land was purchased.

A spokesperson for Sazan Real Estate Development, the Kushner-backed company behind the project, told Reuters it continued to believe the land acquisitions had been carried out lawfully and in accordance with applicable procedures.

The proposed development, located on Albania’s Adriatic coastline, has already attracted opposition from environmental groups and local residents, who argue it could threaten nearby wetlands and wildlife habitats, including flamingos and sea turtles.

Police officers scuffle with protesters during a demonstration against the luxury resort.

Kushner unveiled the project in 2024 after he and Ivanka Trump reportedly discovered the area while sailing nearby.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has continued to back the development, saying it will proceed despite legal and environmental objections.

The SPAK investigation remains ongoing. Albanian authorities have not announced whether any of the individuals named in the investigation have been arrested or formally charged.

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