Albanian criminal escapes UK deportation after drug conviction

An Albanian man named Erind Koka, 33, has avoided deportation from the UK after trying to enter the country illegally four times. Koka was previously jailed for less than a year for growing cannabis. He argued that deporting him would violate his right to family life, since he has a partner and a daughter living in the UK. Koka first attempted to enter the UK on a plane using fake documents but was sent back to Finland. He tried again in 2018 by hiding in a trailer and later in a camper van, but was removed by French authorities. He finally succeeded in entering the UK in October 2019 by hiding in a lorry. Despite the Home Secretary's plans to deport him for causing harm to the community, judges ruled that Koka's crime did not cause significant harm. They decided that his family ties justified allowing him to stay. Lower court Judge Kyriacoulla Degirmenci noted that Koka’s involvement in cannabis production was minor. The UK Home Office is now reviewing how judges interpret the right to family life under European human rights law. They aim to identify ways that some foreign criminals avoid deportation by exploiting these laws. Currently, there are nearly 42,000 outstanding immigration appeals, most based on human rights claims. This situation has led to public outrage, especially when other criminals have similarly used human rights arguments to stay in the UK. Critics argue that the current laws hinder the UK's ability to remove dangerous individuals. Some politicians are calling for changes to ensure that foreign criminals can be deported more easily.