A convicted people smuggler, who was previously deported from the UK, is once again walking the streets of London and mounting a fresh legal challenge to avoid being sent back to Albania.
The Legal Battle Against Deportation
Alket Dauti, 38, has been granted immigration bail and is now fighting his second deportation by the Home Office. His legal team is using the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to argue that he has a right to remain in Britain because his wife and children live here.
This case highlights a growing trend where foreign criminals avoid removal at the end of their prison sentences by launching appeals under human rights legislation. Dauti is currently required to wear an electronic tag and report regularly to the Home Office, but his legal fight could potentially drag on for years due to significant backlogs in the UK courts system.
Celebrations and a Criminal Past
Despite his legal status, Dauti has been seen enjoying meals at restaurants including Pizza Express and the Illyrian Grill in London. Relatives posted what appeared to be 'celebration' photos on Facebook, with one caption from an 'aunt' named Nurie Memia wishing him "100 more years, with lots of blessings."
Dauti's criminal activities were extensive. He first came to the UK legally in 2009 but later led a gang that smuggled hundreds of migrants, including children, in refrigerated lorries from Belgium. The operation was highly profitable, charging migrants up to £8,000 for space in the back of a lorry and £13,000 for a seat in the cab with the driver.
In 2018, he was arrested in Penge, south-east London, by the National Crime Agency and sent to Belgium, where he had already been sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison and fined £625,000. After serving half of his sentence, he was deported to Albania.
A Cycle of Illegal Returns and Political Outrage
Dauti subsequently sneaked back into the UK. In November of last year, he began brazenly posting videos of himself on TikTok and Instagram, sometimes while driving a black Mercedes. When confronted by The Mail on Sunday, the Home Office initially stated it had no record of his return. Dauti himself admitted to reporters that he had flown into Luton airport on a Wizz Air flight from Albania.
A week after the story was published, he was arrested at his home in Penge. In May of this year, he was jailed for eight months at Woolwich Crown Court for entering the country without leave, but has been released in recent weeks.
The case has provoked strong political reactions. Robert Jenrick, the Tory justice spokesman, stated: 'This vile man needs to be deported immediately. Criminals like Dauti are living the high life because the ECHR prevents us removing him... It's high time the Government put the safety of the British people first and left the ECHR.'
A Home Office spokesman responded, saying: 'We are bearing down on foreign criminals and illegal migrants who exploit our laws by making vexatious human rights claims that ground flights. We are scaling up removals of people with no right to be here – with nearly 50,000 already removed. This action will make our country and its citizens safer.'
