Miguel Mendes died after a night-time confrontation outside a bar in the southern resort town. The 29-year-old sought by Albanian police was convicted of drug and weapons offences in England
A 20-year-old French man has been killed in the Albanian coastal resort of Ksamil, with police now searching for a 29-year-old Albanian suspect previously convicted in the English courts. The victim has been named as Miguel Mendes, who died during the night outside the venue known as “Principotes”. Preliminary information indicates he was attacked with a bladed weapon during a confrontation described by investigators as arising from trivial motives. Albanian authorities have identified Sokrat Vata as the suspected perpetrator and say he left the scene after the incident.
The search in Ksamil
Police have opened a manhunt for Vata, who has not been located. Investigators are continuing to work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death, and no arrest has been made. Vata has not been charged or tried in connection with the killing and is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
A record in the English courts
The suspect’s name has appeared before in a criminal case in England. In 2023 he was found guilty of possession of an offensive weapon — a metal knuckleduster — along with possession of cocaine and driving without insurance.
According to information from British authorities, on 13 April 2024 in Kent he overturned a cloned vehicle he was driving after failing to stop for police on the A20 at East Malling. He left the scene. Officers searching the car recovered several bags of cocaine along with number plates.
Seventeen days later, on 30 April 2024, he was involved in a further police pursuit in Cambridge. He was driving a grey Toyota RAV4 that had been reported stolen and accelerated away when officers attempted to stop him. The chase continued through several streets. He paused briefly to let a passenger out before continuing towards Clara Rackham Road, where he abandoned the vehicle, ran from the scene and threw a package of cocaine into bushes.
Officers later found him hiding in the rear garden of a residential property. He was carrying £560 in cash, and further number plates were recovered from the vehicle. He also tested positive for driving under the influence of drugs.
His name has returned to public attention following the death in Ksamil. Albanian authorities are continuing their investigation and their search for the 29-year-old.
