Flight risk or not: Dritan Kapllani Jr. moves $2.59M funds after ZachXBT exposure

- Crypto investigator ZachXBT says Dritan Kapllani Jr. moved $2.59M in allegedly stolen crypto into harder-to-freeze assets through a new wallet.
- Dritan is linked to $19M in social engineering thefts, including a 185 BTC heist worth about $13M.
- Investigators traced funds from stolen wallets to Dritan after he allegedly showed millions in crypto during a Discord “band-for-band” flex session.
Onchain activity shows that Dritan Kapllani Jr. has transferred funds into unfreezeable assets in a new wallet, a few days after ZachXBT identified him as a US-based threat actor allegedly tied to $19 million in social engineering thefts from crypto holders.
ZachXBT was also the one who flagged the latest move, writing on his Telegram channel, “Earlier today the threat actor ‘Dritan Kapllani Jr’ transferred $2.59M (1.99M DAI, 259 ETH) three hops from: 0x4487db847db2fc99372a985743a26f46e0b2bba6 to: 0x67ec1d405e53ed13a19eb77a9db19186723d125d where stolen funds currently sit dormant.”
Dritan’s latest actions are raising questions about whether he is preparing to go into hiding as his co-conspirators face federal charges.
Similar exposures by ZachXBT have led to arrests in the past, with one of them also linked to Dritan.
That one is John “Lick” Daghita, who was arrested in Saint Martin in March 2026 after allegedly stealing $46 million from US government-controlled wallets.
FBI agents reportedly found Daghita with hardware wallets, USB drives, and a metal briefcase of cash after French tactical units helped apprehend him on the Caribbean island.
ZachXBT traces $19 million in alleged thefts to Dritan
ZachXBT’s investigation, published on X, linked Dritan’s Ethereum wallet to the theft of 185 BTC, worth roughly $13 million, on March 14. One day later, $5.3 million from the stolen funds landed in Dritan’s Exodus wallet, according to Zach’s on-chain tracing.
The exposure came after Dritan joined a “band-for-band” contest on Discord on April 23, where scammers compared wallet balances on screen.
During the call, he allegedly displayed $3.68 million inside an Exodus wallet, according to Cryptopolitan’s earlier reporting. By the time ZachXBT published his findings, about $1.6 million had already been withdrawn from the wallet.
Beyond the 185 BTC theft, ZachXBT traced an older wallet address back to Dritan through a deleted Telegram post by Daghita.
That wallet allegedly connected to more than $5.85 million across five additional social engineering thefts in 2025, with Bitcoin addresses spanning August through October of that year.
Other associates, such as Trenton Richard David Johnston and Brandon Michael Tardibone, are facing federal charges over the same 185 BTC theft, with Johnston facing up to 40 years in prison and Tardibone 30 years. ZachXBT identified Dritan as a co-conspirator 1 in Johnston’s case.
A familiar playbook
The connection between Dritan and Daghita predates both investigations. The two engaged in their own band-for-band wallet comparison, ZachXBT said, which was part of what triggered the January 2026 probe into Daghita’s government wallet theft.
In both cases, showing off stolen wealth on social media provided the onchain breadcrumbs that investigators followed.
ZachXBT noted that Dritan has “tons of plot armor,” pointing out that multiple associates from groups known as ACG and 41/RM Boyz have been arrested while Dritan has avoided prosecution.
Since Dritan was recently a minor, ZachXBT suggested that law enforcement may have delayed charges on that basis.
With Johnston and Tardibone now facing decades in federal prison and Daghita awaiting extradition from Saint Martin, the question for investigators is whether Dritan’s apparent fund movements signal a plan to follow Daghita’s exit strategy before charges catch up.
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FAQs
Who is Dritan Kapllani Jr.?
Dritan Kapllani Jr. is an 18-year-old, US-based individual identified by on-chain investigator ZachXBT as a threat actor allegedly linked to approximately $19 million in cryptocurrency social engineering thefts. He is listed as Co-Conspirator 1 in the federal complaint over a 185 BTC theft but has not been formally charged.
What happened to the other people involved in these thefts?
Trenton Richard David Johnston was charged on May 11 over the 185 BTC theft and faces up to 40 years in prison. Brandon "Yelo" Tardibone was charged with laundering stolen funds through his Miami luxury car rental business and faces up to 30 years. John "Lick" Daghita was arrested in Saint Martin by the FBI in March 2026 for a separate $46 million theft from US government wallets.
How did ZachXBT trace the stolen funds to Dritan?
ZachXBT tracked Dritan after he displayed $3.68 million in an Exodus wallet during a Discord call on April 23. Blockchain analysis connected that wallet to a March 14 theft of 185 BTC, and a deleted Telegram post by John Daghita containing one of Dritan's older wallet addresses linked him to five additional thefts totaling over $5.85 million.
Disclaimer. The information provided is not trading advice. Cryptopolitan.com holds no liability for any investments made based on the information provided on this page. We strongly recommend independent research and/or consultation with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.

Hannah Collymore
Hannah is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of blog writing and event reporting experience. She graduated from Arcadia university where she studied business administration. She now works with Cryptopolitan, where she contributes to reporting on the latest developments in the cryptocurrency, gaming, and AI industries.
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