Offenders removed had received combined prison sentences of more than 55 years
Yesterday (Thursday 14 July) the UK Government removed 23 foreign criminals on a charter flight to Albania.
Two individuals who entered the UK illegally were also swiftly removed after they were first encountered by Immigration Enforcement in the past few weeks.
This is testament to the dedicated and tireless work of Home Office teams in returning those with no right to be in the UK.
Individuals returned on the flight to Albania include:
The foreign national offenders removed had received combined prison sentences of more than 55 years and were convicted of crimes including the production and supply of controlled drugs, return in breach of a deportation order, illegal entry and destruction of property.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said:
The removal flight forms part of a regular schedule of returns to multiple countries, to remove those with no right to remain in the UK.
Over the last few weeks, the enforced removal of more foreign criminals from the UK has taken place. Individuals removed on charter flights include three individuals removed to Romania, who were sentenced to over seven years for facilitating illegal entry to the UK.
In June 2022, 240 foreign national offenders were removed from the UK on both charter and scheduled flights. These individuals had been convicted of offences including:
Since March 2021 more than 10,000 people have been removed by both scheduled and charter flights, with 86 flights chartered to 13 different countries.
The Nationality and Borders Act will further deter illegal entry into the UK, breaking the business model of people-smuggling networks and speed up the removal of those with no right to be in the UK.