Miami businessman accused of forging documents on land sold to Jared Kushner

A Miami businessman wanted in Albania for allegedly laundering drug money is suspected of forging title documents for land sold for a luxury resort to Jared Kushner, according to files reviewed Reuters.

Businessman Artur Shehu denied all allegations through his lawyer, Kujtim Cakrani, who confirmed that Albanian prosecutors had issued an arrest warrant accusing Shehu of laundering money for drug-trafficking groups.

According to Reuters, case files allege that Shehu and his associates smuggled South American cocaine into European ports and laundered the proceeds through a real estate empire built using forged land ownership documents.

Shehu’s lawyers, Kujtim Cakrani, denied the allegations, saying Shehu was not involved in the drug trade or falsifying property records. He also said his client was aware of the investigation but claimed the prosecution’s version of events was completely wrong.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment on whether U.S. authorities had received any request from Albania to locate or detain Shehu in Miami. Reuters reported.

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No allegations against Kushner or the resort developers

According to Reuters, Shehu sold the disputed stretch of Albanian coastline in April to Albania Land Development, the company owned by the developers behind the Kushner-backed Sazan Real Estate Development resort project, along with other investors.

Prosecutors wrote in case files that there is “reasonable suspicion” that the land was acquired using forged title deeds. However, the filings do not accuse Jared Kushner, Sazan Real Estate Development, Albania Land Development or any other investors of wrongdoing.

Reuters said it found no indication that the project’s investors were aware of any suspicions surrounding Shehu when they bought the land.

In response to Reuters, a spokesman for Sazan Real Estate Development did not directly address the allegations against Shehu, but said the company believed the land acquisitions were made legally and in accordance with applicable procedures. Albania Land Development did not respond to requests for comment, while a spokesman for Kushner declined to comment.

The allegations add to the controversy surrounding the multibillion-dollar resort, which has already faced constant protests from residents and environmental activists. The project is planned along a protected stretch of Albania’s Adriatic coast, which includes beaches, forests and wetlands inhabited by sea turtles and flamingos.

Residents of the nearby village of Zvernec have been challenging Shehu’s ownership claims in court for more than ten years. According to Reuters, several residents recently submitted title deeds and tax records that they say establish their ownership of the land. Their lawyer, Kostandin Beko, said they intend to seek a court order to stop the resort project.

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The anti-corruption agency is investigating the land deal

The investigation is being led by Albania’s Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), an independent anti-corruption agency established in 2019. According to Reuters, a 200-page file on the case has not been made public.

The files are dated June 12, 2026, the same day SPAK announced arrest warrants for 20 people in connection with alleged narcotics trafficking and money laundering. SPAK did not say whether any of the suspects have since been arrested or formally charged.

The files also state that Shehu sold a plot of land in the resort for around €110 million, with prosecutors ordering the freezing of the funds in the notary’s account before they get to him. According to Reuters, SPAK said in the filings that Shehu and his colleagues “purchased the land using illegally obtained funds and forged ownership documents by creating false title deeds or artificially increasing the size of the properties.”

Cakrani claimed that Shehu’s family had owned the land since the Ottoman era and said the sale to the resort developers was legal. He also described his client as a political asylum seeker who moved to the United States in 1998 after his brother and uncle were allegedly killed by criminal gangs. Reuters said it could not independently verify that account.