Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court Approves Extradition of Ervin Mata

Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court has unanimously approved Albania’s request for the extradition of Ervin Mata. The decision was taken by the court’s first panel, in the virtual session held from August 14 to 21, 2026.

In the 23-page decision, the Brazilian court determines that the documentation submitted by the Albanian authorities meets the legal conditions for extradition. The request relates to criminal proceedings in Albania on charges including narcotics trafficking, collaboration in a special form and participation in a structured criminal group.

The file also includes data secured from communications on the encrypted Sky ECC app. According to the material presented before the Brazilian court, in September 2020, the user with identifier GS4TDD, identified as Ervin Luan Mata, is suspected of communicating about the transport of a quantity of about 250 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil to Frankfurt airport in Germany.

In a September 29, 2020 communication, the file mentions that Mata spoke about the seizure of 240 units of the goods in Frankfurt. In another conversation, he is quoted as saying that “all my goods were seized in Frankfurt, at customs,” while the sending of money through other persons is also mentioned.

The Brazilian document also includes communications relating to Albania and the Netherlands. In one of them, Mata is quoted as saying: “I only want money in Albania,” while in another he mentions the sum of one million in the Netherlands.

The file also includes communications with Eralbi Breçani. In an October 2020 conversation, Mata speaks about “loads” and about the possibility of securing “safe exits” for the goods.

But Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court sets an important limitation: it has not judged whether Ervin Mata is guilty or not of the acts attributed to him. The court explains that, in extradition proceedings, its review is limited and does not include a retrial of the facts, authorship or evidence of the criminal case.

According to the decision, only a preliminary legal assessment is made to determine whether the conditions for extradition are met. The court finds that the principle of dual criminality exists, that the acts are not time-barred and that there is no legal obstacle to extradition.

The extradition has been approved as an investigative procedure, that is, for him to be subjected to criminal proceedings in Albania and not for the execution of a final sentence.

However, Ervin Mata is not automatically handed over to the Albanian authorities. The decision determines that the handover depends on the discretionary decision of the President of Brazil. In addition, Albania must formalize the guarantees provided by Brazilian law, among others that Mata not be prosecuted for a prior fact other than the one for which extradition was requested, that his time in custody in Brazil be credited, and that he not be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

The decision of Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court is unanimous and is dated August 24, 2026. The case rapporteur is Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

So, the Brazilian court has cleared the way for the extradition of Ervin Mata to Albania, but his physical handover remains conditioned on the procedures set out in the decision.