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Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Brazen Albanian drug dealer who posed flaunting £250k cash from heroin sales is allowed to stay in UK
Officials were trying to deport the former model just eight months before his arrest GANGSTER'S PARADISE Brazen Albanian drug dealer who posed flaunting £250k cash from heroin sales is allowed to stay in UK Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN ALBANIAN drug dealer who flaunted £250,000 in cash made from selling heroin has been allowed to stay in the UK. Olsi Beheluli, who was sentenced to 11 years behind bars in 2015, has been told he won't be deported. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 An Albanian drug dealer has been allowed to stay in the UK Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 4 Olsi Beheluli brazenly posed with huge stacks of cash Credit: SWNS:South West News Service The Albanian national, who arrived in England when he was nine-years-old, was caged after cops found him with eight kilograms of high-purity heroin. Beheluli, 33, played a "senior role" in the drug ring but, The Home Office and National Crime Agency (NCA) were informed he has to stay in the UK, as reported by The Telegraph. Officials were trying to deport the former model just eight months before his arrest in 2015. The National Crime Agency found a picture of him surrounded by an estimated £250,000 after raids in London. Beheluli was later found guilty of conspiring to supply class A drugs and sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court. He appeared alongside fellow gang members Besim Topalli, then 29, and Azem Proshka, then 23. It was previously reported Proshka and Topalli would be deported after they serve ten years in prison. The duo admitted conspiring to supply drugs, money laundering and possessing fake ID documents. National Crime Agency branch commander Oliver Higgins said: "Beheluli seemed to enjoy the high life and gambling with the money he made from drug dealing, but in the end his luck run out. "These men were involved in supplying significant quantities of high-purity class A drugs, as demonstrated by the value of the cash, cocaine and heroin we have seized from them. "But they were unaware that they were being watched by the NCA, and their arrest and subsequent conviction should have the wider criminal fraternity looking over their shoulders." Home Office officials as well as the NCA, previously argued must Beheluli have been operating high up within the criminal organisation to be trusted with such large sums of cash. But a lower-tier tribunal judge threw out this allegation due to a lack of physical evidence or witness testimony. Beheluli arrived in the UK in November 2000, when his father claimed asylum. His father's applications were originally rejected, but in 2006 they were granted discretionary leave to remain - which later became indefinite leave to remain. Beheluli was granted British citizenship in April 2014, but caught with the drugs and wads of cash by October. The Home Office tired to deport him and argued he had lied on his citizenship forms when he stated there was nothing 'which reflected adversely on his character'. They claimed Beheluli must have held a "senior role" within the drug dealing enterprise. The court was told by the Home Office: 'It is beyond logic to accept that [he] would be trusted with such a consignment of drugs if [he was] not already involved in the supply of Class A drugs.' However, the lower tier tribunal ruled that there was insufficient evidence to reach such a conclusion. The tribunal ruled: 'There is, for example, no surveillance or other evidence from the NCA and there is no opinion evidence from a police officer, for example, to support the suggestion that only a senior and trusted member of an organised criminal gang would be entrusted with such a quantity of drugs. 'There was no evidence of sufficient cogency to establish that the appellant had been involved in criminality at the time that he said that there was nothing adverse to declare about his character.' However, the upper tribunal rejected this and has scheduled a re-hearing. It ruled: 'Whether or not there was a statement from a police officer, and whether or not there was further evidence from the NCA, that view was deserving of respect and was capable of supporting the common-sense stance of the Secretary of State.' 4 Fellow drug dealer Ardi Beshiri also showed off wads of cash 4 Human trafficker Luan Plakici relaxed on a sofa with a handful of bills Credit: PA:Press Association
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Brazen Albanian drug dealer who posed flaunting £250k cash from heroin sales is allowed to stay in UK
AN ALBANIAN drug dealer who flaunted £250,000 in cash made from selling heroin has been allowed to stay in the UK. 4 An Albanian drug dealer has been allowed to stay in the UK Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 4 Olsi Beheluli brazenly posed with huge stacks of cash Credit: SWNS:South West News Service The Albanian national, who arrived in England when he was nine-years-old, was caged after cops found him with eight kilograms of high-purity heroin. Beheluli, 33, played a "senior role" in the drug ring but, The Home Office and National Crime Agency (NCA) were informed he has to stay in the UK, as reported by Officials were trying to deport the former model just eight months before his arrest in 2015. The National Crime Agency found a picture of him surrounded by an estimated £250,000 after raids in London. Read More Beheluli was later found guilty of conspiring to supply class A drugs and sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court. He appeared alongside fellow gang members Besim Topalli, then 29, and Azem Proshka, then 23. It was previously reported Proshka and Topalli would be deported after they serve ten years in prison. The duo admitted conspiring to supply drugs, money laundering and possessing fake ID documents. Most read in The Sun National Crime Agency branch commander Oliver Higgins said: "Beheluli seemed to enjoy the high life and gambling with the money he made from drug dealing, but in the end his luck run out. "These men were involved in supplying significant quantities of high-purity class A drugs, as demonstrated by the value of the cash, cocaine and heroin we have seized from them. "But they were unaware that they were being watched by the NCA, and their arrest and subsequent conviction should have the wider criminal fraternity looking over their shoulders." Home Office officials as well as the NCA, previously argued must Beheluli have been operating high up within the criminal organisation to be trusted with such large sums of cash. But a lower-tier tribunal judge threw out this allegation due to a lack of physical evidence or witness testimony. Beheluli arrived in the UK in November 2000, when his father claimed asylum. His father's applications were originally rejected, but in 2006 they were granted discretionary leave to remain - which later became indefinite leave to remain. Beheluli was granted British citizenship in April 2014, but caught with the drugs and wads of cash by October. The Home Office tired to deport him and argued he had lied on his citizenship forms when he stated there was nothing 'which reflected adversely on his character'. They claimed Beheluli must have held a "senior role" within the drug dealing enterprise. The court was told by the Home Office: 'It is beyond logic to accept that [he] would be trusted with such a consignment of drugs if [he was] not already involved in the supply of Class A drugs.' However, the lower tier tribunal ruled that there was insufficient evidence to reach such a conclusion. The tribunal ruled: 'There is, for example, no surveillance or other evidence from the NCA and there is no opinion evidence from a police officer, for example, to support the suggestion that only a senior and trusted member of an organised criminal gang would be entrusted with such a quantity of drugs. 'There was no evidence of sufficient cogency to establish that the appellant had been involved in criminality at the time that he said that there was nothing adverse to declare about his character.' However, the upper tribunal rejected this and has scheduled a re-hearing. It ruled: 'Whether or not there was a statement from a police officer, and whether or not there was further evidence from the NCA, that view was deserving of respect and was capable of supporting the common-sense stance of the Secretary of State.' 4 Fellow drug dealer Ardi Beshiri also showed off wads of cash 4 Human trafficker Luan Plakici relaxed on a sofa with a handful of bills Credit: PA:Press Association
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Jailed Albanian heroin dealer who kept photo of himself posing with £250,000 in cash is allowed to stay in the UK
The jailed Albanian heroin dealer who posed with £250,000 in cash has been told he will not be deported. Olsi Beheluli, who came to the UK when he was nine, was sentenced to 11 years behind bars over his 'senior role' in a drug-dealing ring after he was caught with eight kilograms of high-purity heroin in 2015. But The Home Office and National Crime Agency (NCA) have been told the former-'model' has to stay in the UK, despite their efforts to prove he fraudulently secured his British Citizenship, it was reported in The Telegraph. They claimed that eight months before he was arrested for having £200-000 worth of heroin on him he said he was not involved in any criminal activities on his naturalisation application. However they believe that only a senior member would be entrusted with such a valuable assignment. Dealing with the huge amounts of drugs would go against his promise to officials at the time that there was nothing 'which reflected adversely on his character'. A lower-tier tribunal judge dismissed this argument, arguing that there was no witness evidence or surveillance to support this. The Home office said it was 'incredible' to presume this was his first time engaging in drug offences and that 'it is beyond logic to accept that [he] would be trusted with such a consignment of drugs if [he was] not already involved in the supply of Class A Drugs'. A judge ruled that he would not be deported despite attempts from the Home Office because there was not enough evidence to suggest he had been involved in criminal activities before (pictured with a stash of £250,000 in cash) When this went to a upper tribunal judge at a rehearing after the case was appealed, officials said Beheluli 'must have established a fairly senior role in the supply of heroin, since he was entrusted with more than eight kilograms of high-purity heroin with a street value of more than £200,000'. The judge responded that the lack of evidence did not 'amount to a complete and incontrovertible answer to the common-sense point made by the Secretary of State' Beheluli arrived in the UK in 2000 with his family who were granted discretionary leave to remain six years later. The gangster, , who claimed he appeared on Channel 4 dating show My Little Princess, was on his way to a 'stash house' in north London when the cops descended on him. Counterfeit identity documentation and scales were found at the Neasden address and when police searched Beheluli's phone, they discovered the shocking image of him next to £250,000 in cash - which he had also posted on X (then Twitter). Beheluli tried to claim it was a relative's money and the photo was taken in Albania but detectives matched the distinctive wallpaper and furniture in the image to a picture of a home that Beheluli used to rent. Beheluli stashed £24,000 in his bank account and told officers it was gambling winnings from the World Cup. Officers found betting slips showing he had recently placed £12,000 stakes at Ladbrokes and William Hill. The then-24-year-old enjoyed living the 'high life' and gambling with the money he made from the illegal operation, police said. National Crime Agency branch commander Oliver Higgins said: 'Beheluli seemed to enjoy the high life and gambling with the money he made from drug dealing, but in the end his luck run out. 'These men were involved in supplying significant quantities of high-purity class A drugs, as demonstrated by the value of the cash, cocaine and heroin we have seized from them. 'But they were unaware that they were being watched by the NCA, and their arrest and subsequent conviction should have the wider criminal fraternity looking over their shoulders.' Blackfriars Crown Court found him guilt of conspiring to supply class A drugs in April 2015 alongside fellow gang members Besim Topalli, then 29, and Azem Proshka, then 23 - the trio in total received a sentence of 31 years in prison. At the time, it was reported Proshka and Topalli will be deported after they serve ten years in prison after admitting conspiring to supply drugs, money laundering and possessing fake ID documents.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Albanian drug dealer pictured with £250k in cash can stay in Britain
A jailed Albanian drug dealer who took pictures of himself surrounded by £250,000 in cash has been allowed to remain in the UK. The Home Office and National Crime Agency (NCA) are seeking to deport Olsi Beheluli, 33, who was jailed for 11 years for his 'senior role' in a heroin drug dealing ring. They say that Beheluli, who came to the UK as a nine year old, fraudulently secured British citizenship after claiming that he was not involved in criminality on his application form for naturalisation. Only eight months later, he was arrested with eight kilograms of high purity heroin, which had an estimated street value of £200,000, on his way to a 'stash house' in Neasden, where counterfeit identity documents and scales were found. The National Crime Agency found a picture of him surrounded by £250,000 in cash on his iPhone after raids in north-west London in 2015. He was found guilty of conspiring to supply class A drugs at Blackfriars Crown Court and sentenced to 11 years in prison on April 1, 2015. Home Office's 'common sense' argument The Home Office and NCA argued that only a senior person with a longstanding criminal history would be entrusted with such a high value consignment of drugs. A lower tier tribunal judge then rejected that argument on the basis that there was no surveillance or witness evidence to support it. Beheluli's appeal against his deportation was upheld. However, the Home Office appealed the case and secured a re-hearing after an upper tribunal judge ruled that the lack of evidence to prove his prior criminality was not enough to outweigh the 'common sense' arguments of the Home Secretary. The case, disclosed in court papers, is the latest example uncovered by The Telegraph where illegal migrants or convicted foreign criminals have been able to remain in the UK or halt their deportations. Ministers are proposing to raise the threshold to make it harder for judges to grant the right to remain based on article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects the right to a family life, and article 3, which protects against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Beheluli's father claimed asylum after the family arrived in the UK on November 22, 2000. His applications were rejected but in 2006 they were granted discretionary leave to remain, which then 'confusingly, almost simultaneously' became indefinite leave to remain, the tribunal was told. There is nothing to suggest Beheluli's father was involved in any wrongdoing. Eight years later, in April 2014, Beheluli was granted British citizenship. But eight months after that, on October 7, 2014, he was caught with £200,000 worth of heroin and arrested for drug offences. The Home Office sought to deport him on the basis that he had defrauded officials when he claimed in his citizenship application that there was nothing 'which reflected adversely on his character'. Officials argued that the value of the drugs meant he 'must have established a fairly senior role in the supply of heroin, since he was entrusted with more than eight kilograms of high-purity heroin with a street value of more than £200,000'. 'Beyond logic' The Home Office said it was 'incredible' to accept that he was new to the drug trade and that his arrest represented the first time he had engaged in such activities. The court was told: 'It is beyond logic to accept that [he] would be trusted with such a consignment of drugs if [he was] not already involved in the supply of Class A Drugs.' However, the lower tier tribunal ruled that there was insufficient evidence to reach such a conclusion. The tribunal ruled: 'There is, for example, no surveillance or other evidence from the NCA and there is no opinion evidence from a police officer, for example, to support the suggestion that only a senior and trusted member of an organised criminal gang would be entrusted with such a quantity of drugs. 'There was no evidence of sufficient cogency to establish that the appellant had been involved in criminality at the time that he said that there was nothing adverse to declare about his character.' But the upper tribunal rejected these arguments and ordered a re-hearing. It ruled that the lack of physical evidence did not 'amount to a complete and incontrovertible answer to the common-sense point made by the Secretary of State.' It concluded: 'Whether or not there was a statement from a police officer, and whether or not there was further evidence from the NCA, that view was deserving of respect and was capable of supporting the common-sense stance of the Secretary of State.'
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
The grooming-gangs scandal is a stain on the British state
MOHAMMED ZAHID ran a clothes stall in Rochdale market, and a grooming gang. He employed vulnerable girls, offering them gifts of alcohol and underwear, and targeted others when they came to buy tights for school. Along with his friends, who included other Pakistan-born stallholders and taxi drivers, Mr Zahid then treated the children as sex slaves, raping and abusing them in shops, warehouses and on nearby moors. Among his victims were two 13-year-old girls. One was in care; both were known to social services and the police. On June 13th, almost 25 years after the abuse began, Mr Zahid and six others were convicted of 30 counts of rape. Britain's grooming-gangs scandal, the long-ignored group-based sexual abuse of children, has been a stain on the country for decades. Yet justice for victims and action to tackle failures have been painfully slow. On June 16th the government published an audit, which pinned the blame on authorities failing to see 'girls as girls' and having 'shied away from' looking into crimes committed by minorities—in this case often men of Asian or Muslim (especially Pakistani) heritage. Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, announced a raft of measures including new criminal investigations. At last, the government is getting to grips with a scandal that should remain a case study of institutional failure. The latest report follows a succession of probes stretching back over a decade. Those include two long public inquiries, one completed in 2015 into gangs in Rotherham, another in 2022 into child-sexual exploitation more broadly. Despite taking just four months, this audit provided new valuable insights for two reasons. It was the first to look solely at grooming gangs nationally. And it was led by Louise Casey, a cross-bench peer and social-policy fixer with a reputation for plain speaking. Lady Casey begins by observing that, even now, it is impossible to know the scale of this problem. That is in part because these are horribly complex cases, victims fear coming forward and investigations were badly botched. Police forces failed to collect data. Grooming gangs have been identified in dozens of towns and cities. In Rotherham alone, thanks to an unusually thorough police investigation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA), 1,100 victims were identified. Our rough calculation suggests that tens of thousands of victims could be awaiting justice. Lady Casey's most significant contribution is on the role of ethnicity. It was known that some police forces failed to look into reports of Asian grooming gangs out of a fear of appearing racist or upsetting community relations. She goes beyond this, strongly criticising a Home Office report from 2020, which claimed in spite of very poor data that levels of group-based child-sexual exploitation were likely to be in line with the general population, with 'the majority of offenders being White'. No such conclusions can be drawn, she says. Instead she cites new, more solid data, unearthed from three police forces, showing that suspects were disproportionately of Asian heritage; in Greater Manchester, more than half were. Will this time be different? There is no evidence to support the idea, found on the right, that Asian men are more likely to commit sexual or child-sexual abuse in general. Yet the refusal of some on the left to grapple with the role of culture and ethnicity in group-based abuse was inexcusable. What marks these crimes out, says Sunder Katwala of British Future, a think-tank, is precisely that perpetrators become disinhibited from moral norms as a group. Asian men appeared to target white girls because they were from another community. Cultural over-sensitivity may also have blinded the police to obvious patterns, like the role of (disproportionately Asian) taxi drivers employed by councils to ferry vulnerable children. Lady Casey also shines a light on sexism and classism running through the state. Presented with evidence of predatory gangs, the police's reaction was often to treat victims as 'wayward teenagers' or adults who had made bad choices. Many were not believed—some were even criminalised as child prostitutes. Ms Cooper will change the law to prevent rapists getting away with lesser charges by claiming that 13-15 year-olds had 'consented' to sex. The home secretary also, sensibly, announced that the NCA would take over hundreds of cold cases. Attention, however, focused on her reversal in calling another public inquiry. Such inquiries have become something of a national addiction, often less fact-finding probes than expensive and cumbersome attempts at catharsis. In this case one seems warranted: earlier inquiries have left basic gaps, and statutory powers could be used to compel local police forces and councils to release documents, as happened in Rotherham. Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader who had called for such a U-turn, reacted gleefully, accusing the government of having attempted a cover-up. That trivialises the depth and breadth of the failure, which successive politicians in Westminster have overlooked (the home secretary at the time of the 2020 report was Priti Patel, a Conservative). But many recommendations from previous inquiries covering issues from data sharing to victim support have not been implemented, owing to a lack of political interest and bureaucratic inertia. This time, the hope must be that attention is sustained, and many more predators like Mr Zahid end up behind bars. 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