Albanian police have launched a search operation in Vora, Kukës and several areas of Tirana for two men wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of Portuguese tourist Luis Miguel Varela Mendes in Ksamil, according to local reports.

Authorities are searching for David Gjana, also known as David Heurtevent, and Bekim Bulica, the owner of the Principote venue where the incident began. Both men have been declared wanted as investigators work to establish the full circumstances of the killing.

Gjana is suspected of assaulting the 20-year-old tourist with punches during the confrontation before the victim was taken outside the venue. Prosecutors are investigating him in connection with intentional homicide committed in cooperation, according to reports citing the investigation.

Bulica was reportedly at the venue when the incident occurred and subsequently left the scene without reporting the crime. Police have declared him wanted in connection with the investigation.

The killing took place in the early hours of August 18, when Mendes was allegedly involved in a confrontation at Principote before being fatally stabbed at the nearby Paradise beach area. The main suspect, security guard Sokrat Vata, was arrested several hours later after police found him hiding in the trunk of a vehicle in the Levan area.

Authorities have made a series of arrests as part of the investigation. Police said multiple employees and security personnel at the venue were involved in or present during the confrontation, while some are being investigated over allegations including aiding the suspect or failing to report the crime.

Investigators are also examining whether the two wanted men may have attempted to leave Albania, with Kosovo reportedly among the possible destinations. That possibility has not been independently confirmed by an official statement.

The investigation, led by police structures in cooperation with the Saranda Prosecutor’s Office, remains ongoing as authorities seek to locate the two wanted suspects and determine the individual responsibility of those involved.