An Albanian man who tried to enter the UK illegally four times has been allowed to stay after it was ruled that his drug conviction for “watering cannabis plants” did not cause serious harm. Erind Koka, 33, entered the UK by lorry in 2019 after seven years of trying. Within a year he was convicted for his involvement in class B drug production. Although his deportation had been deemed “conducive to the public good”, a tribunal ruled that Koka’s offence — he had admitted to “the watering, on one occasion, of cannabis plants” — did not qualify him as a “foreign criminal”. Koka first attempted to enter the UK by air in October 2012 using false documents but was denied entry and removed to Finland.

Source: The Times March 20, 2025 01:54 UTC