A brazen Albanian drug dealer is set to be deported for a third time after repeatedly sneaking back into Britain.
Ronaldo Zani, 26, has repeatedly made his way Britain despite twice being booted out for being part of an Albanian crime gang.
He was first deported in 2019 after being found peddling cocaine. But he returned months later and boasted to his customers ‘I’m back to work’.
The dealer was later caught in possession of £4,250 cash, 24g of cocaine, three ‘burner’ phones, as well as scales, deal lists and a fake Greek ID card.
Zani admitted he was selling drugs to pay off a £15,000 debt to the people smuggling gang who got him back into the UK. He was deported a second time in May 2021 after being jailed for three years.
But on February 13 this year police officer who recognised Zani was stunned when he saw him driving a Mercedes in Bournemouth, Dorset.
He pulled him over and during a search he found £1,935 cash and 24.75g of cocaine, which would have a street value of up to £2,500.
Zani, 26, told the authorities he got back into the UK ‘some months ago’ by hiding in the back of a lorry.
Ronaldo Zani (pictured), 26, has repeatedly snuck back into Britain despite twice being booted out for being part of an Albanian crime gang
Zani was first deported in 2019 after being found peddling cocaine. But he returned months later before being caught in possession of cocaine, ‘burner’ phones, scales and deal lists in 2020. He admitted he was dealing drugs to pay off a £15,000 debt to the people smuggling gang who got him back into the UK. He was deported a second time in May 2021
He said he was initially employed as a labourer but did not earn enough to repay his smugglers so he started working as a drugs courier.
However, the judge said he had ‘no real sympathy’ for Zani as he knew what he was getting himself in to by illegally coming back to these shores.
In jailing him for four years at Bournemouth Crown Court, Judge Richard Fuller KC said he expected Zani to be deported again.
He said: ‘You entered the country illegally knowing either you were in debt to those who were putting you on the back of a lorry or would be in debt to an organised crime group.
‘The country is rife with Albanian crime groups and with your previous convictions you would have been fully aware of what you were getting yourself into.
‘There can be no real sympathy for you taking the direction to work for drug dealers. With your sentence I have taken into account that you will no doubt be deported.’
Zani pleaded guilty to charges of arriving in the UK without valid entry clearance, possessing criminal property, possessing cocaine with intent to supply and driving without a licence or insurance.
Jonathan Rees, mitigating, said Zani has ‘no intention or desire to try to re-enter the country again’.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘Foreign nationals who commit heinous crimes should be in no doubt that we will do everything to make sure they are not free on Britain’s streets, including removal from the United Kingdom at the earliest possible opportunity.
‘Since the election we’ve removed 3,594 foreign criminals, a 16 per cent increase on the same period 12 months prior.’
