NEWARK—A former Passaic County man who
has been a fugitive since being charged in 2009 with multiple crimes in
connection with an investigation into several loosely connected Balkan criminal
enterprises operating throughout New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia,
Canada, and the Netherlands was arrested today in Canada, U.S. Attorney Paul J.
Fishman announced.
Kujtim Lika, 47, a/k/a “Timmy,” was
arrested early this morning by the Toronto Police Department/Toronto Task
Force. He had been using the alias “Dashamir Cela” at the time of his arrest.
Lika will have his initial court appearance in Toronto.
Three years ago, the FBI, in conjuction
with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) charged 26 individuals—including
Lika—with numerous crimes, including narcotics and firearms trafficking, money
laundering, interstate transportation of stolen property, and criminal
conspiracy. The arrests were part of a joint operation between federal agencies
that began in late 2003 with targets in Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia,
Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States.
Lika’s case has been featured on the
television program “America’s Most Wanted.”
The government is represented by
Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Malagold, chief of the Organized Crime/Gangs
Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations against Lika
are merely accusations, and the defendant is are considered innocent unless and
until proven guilty.
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