Shock rise in Albanian criminals in UK prisons

THE rising influence of Albanian crime gangs in the UK drug trade has been linked to a surge in the number of nationals being jailed here.

New figures from the Ministry of Justice reveal there were 1,500 Albanian citizens locked up in the nation’s prisons last year – enough to fill London’s Wormwood Scrubs.

This was a 25 per cent rise on 2020, when there were 1,203.That followed a 30 per cent rise on 2019 when there were 933.

Albanians make up the largest foreign prisoner population in England and Wales. Poland is second with 896 prisoners and Romania third with 731.

Gangs from the Balkan nation have slowly taken over the drug trade in this country since the fall of communism in Albania in 1990. The Albanian mafia can deal directly with the Colombian cartels, giving them cheaper prices and increased purity.

Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: “The high number of Albanians in our jails and the frequency with which they feature in crimes are a stark reminder of our poor border control.”

The Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration,tom Pursglove, said: “Foreign nationals who take advantage of our hospitality by committing crimes have no place in the UK.”