Albanian kingpin runs UK migrant smuggling ring to ship crooks out of the country for £2,500 while he should be behind bars
Criminal migrants are avoiding justice by being smuggled out of the UK in lorries. A Daily Mail investigation found an Albanian, who should be behind bars himself, running a network helping crooks flee for £2,500. The mastermind brazenly operates his ‘Returns from England’ business on social media, offering a ‘stress-free’ express service for migrant fugitives, with ‘passage 100 per cent secured’. He boasted his team of corrupt drivers had trafficked at least 50 people to France after they ‘commit crimes and want to go fast’.
In This Article:
- Brazen social media driven operation promises a 'stress-free' express service with 'passage 100 per cent secured'
- Shocking context foreign criminals at large and record small-boat arrivals
- Undercover exposure Alfons the smuggler and his alleged methods
- Logistics and routes the Maidstone meet and Calais drop-off
- Political reaction calls to jail the smuggler and tighten border controls
- Recent crackdowns and Home Office response
Brazen social media driven operation promises a 'stress-free' express service with 'passage 100 per cent secured'
A brazen operation marketed as a 'Returns from England' express service on social media, offering a ‘stress-free’ express service for migrant fugitives, with ‘passage 100 per cent secured’. The mastermind boasted his team of corrupt drivers had trafficked at least 50 people to France after they ‘commit crimes and want to go fast’. An undercover reporter, acting as a middleman, encountered the smuggler who gave his name as Alfons and said one man he was helping to escape was facing 16 years in jail if caught. He added that he was happy to help murderers flee justice.
Shocking context foreign criminals at large and record small-boat arrivals
This month, two Afghan teenagers were jailed for the rape of a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Leamington Spa soon after crossing the Channel. And an audit found 11 others were recently convicted for attacking women in Britain. There are more than 1,000 foreign criminals – including rapists, killers and terrorists – at large in the UK, according to the latest figures. On Saturday, 800 migrants arrived in the country on small boats – the biggest December day on record.
Undercover exposure Alfons the smuggler and his alleged methods
An undercover reporter, acting as a middleman, made contact with the smuggler, who gave his name as Alfons and said one man he was helping to escape was facing 16 years in jail if caught. He added that he was happy to help murderers flee justice. Criminals awaiting sentence or suspects anticipating charges run the risk of being captured if they try to flee by booking a flight or ferry. But, unlike lorries coming into the UK, there are ‘no checks’ on those leaving, Alfons claimed, and none of those he had smuggled had been intercepted. Now seemingly based in Belgium, he started his operation after cutting off his ankle tag and fleeing the UK to avoid jail over a cannabis factory. The ‘Returns from England’ TikTok account used a video from an Albanian influencer with tens of thousands of followers. In it, the influencer – known as ‘Bandit’ – says: ‘Hey, contact our countryman and you’re out by paying just £2,000. Contact our patriot – for people who commit crimes and want to go fast, fast, before entering the mouse hole [prison].’ Alfons, who raised the price to £2,500 for our reporter, said: ‘I left on a lorry. If I had stayed, I was going to be in prison for one year. They arrested me inside a cannabis house. I had a fight with people who came to rob the house. The neighbours alerted the police.’ Asked why he wasn’t held on remand ahead of the trial, he said: ‘Prison was full. There wasn’t any space, so they put an ankle tag on me. I cut it off.’ He boasted: ‘I have taken 50 people out so far. No one has been caught yet.’ The fugitive would be hidden in a ‘dedicated place’ in the back of the lorry. Giving his name as Alfons, he explained that one man he was helping to escape was facing 16 years in jail if caught - and was happy to help wanted murderers flee justice. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'It looks like the government can't control who comes in or who leaves this country. This criminal gang is making a mockery of our border laws and allowing dangerous criminals to escape'
Logistics and routes the Maidstone meet and Calais drop-off
The plan described by Alfons included meeting at the Maidstone M20 Services, the last refuel and rest stop before the Eurotunnel terminal connecting to the Continent, with the drop-off point set to be Aire de Saint-Hilaire-Cottes, 40 minutes inland from Calais. The reporter was told that there were no journeys on demand and that journeys did not occur every day. The smuggler also claimed four drivers, all Kosovan-Albanians, were used for operations, and that the gang could coordinate a weekly schedule.
Political reaction calls to jail the smuggler and tighten border controls
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'It looks like the Government can’t control who comes in or who leaves this country. This criminal gang is making a mockery of our border laws and allowing dangerous criminals to escape. This man needs to be jailed. Foreign criminals need to be prosecuted and once they’ve served time in prison, deported permanently. We cannot allow dangerous criminals to avoid justice.' The smuggler, unfazed, said: ‘Do not worry. He will not be found,’ and added: ‘There are no dogs or controls. It’s not like when lorries are getting into the UK. We have a journey every week and not one will be found.’
Recent crackdowns and Home Office response
Last week it emerged that another gang had smuggled more than 240 migrants to France from the UK. Alfons’ account was removed before the Daily Mail approached TikTok for comment. The Home Office said: ‘We apply targeted checks to outbound vehicles, and our work with law-enforcement partners has already led to arrests and convictions for hundreds of offences this year.’
