Fifth Deportation Looms as Albanian Migrant Is Found Hiding in a Trailer in Sunderland
An illegal migrant will be deported from the UK for the fifth time after he was found hiding in the back of a trailer. Since 2017 Romeo Zani, an Albanian national, has repeatedly tried to enter Britain. Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday heard he first came to the attention of the Border Force nine years ago, when he confessed he had come to the country in the 'back of a lorry' and been working illegally. Since then, he has been caught trying to enter the UK through various means - including via a yacht in Falmouth. Zani, 32, once spent a year in hiding and has also served prison sentences for his crimes. He has been issued an indefinite deportation order, too. Now, the illegal migrant has been locked up and told he will be removed for a fifth time after admitting another breach of his deportation order. Mr Recorder Nicholas Worsley sentenced Zani to two years behind bars for his 'blatant attempt to flout deportation'. The recorder told him: 'This will be the fifth occasion upon which you have ended up being removed from the UK.'
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Nine-Year Pattern of Entry Attempts from the Back of a Lorry to a Yacht
Romeo Zani, an Albanian national, has an indefinite deportation order but since 2017 he has repeatedly tried to reenter the UK. He has now been sentenced to two years behind bars and will be removed for a fifth time for his third breach of the deportation order. Zani was first questioned by authorities in August 2017, when he confessed he had entered the UK in the 'back of a lorry' and had been working illegally. He admitted he had been working illegally, had no fears about returning to Albania and signed a voluntary departure order which meant he was removed from Britain in December 2017. Zani entered the country again and was arrested in January 2018 then convicted in December 2018 at Bristol Crown Court for offences including possessing fraudulent identity documents, conspiracy to possess a class B drug and money laundering. He was sentenced to 20 months behind bars. On January 11, 2019, he was made the subject of an indefinite deportation order and removed from the UK for the second time on March 7, 2019. Two years later, in January 2021, Zani was back in the UK and identified as having returned in breach of a deportation order but was then 'in hiding' and categorised as an absconder for more than a year. On August 27, 2023, he was arrested by Bedford Police. Then, in January 2024, he was arrested by West Yorkshire Police - and launched a claim for asylum. The claim was refused and, on May 3, 2024, he was removed from the UK for the third time. This was the first breach of the deportation order. Less than a year later, on April 13, 2025, Zani was found on a yacht in Falmouth and two days later was convicted of a second breach of the deportation order at Cornwall Magistrates Court. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison for the breach and, on August 14, was removed from the UK for a fourth time. On December 12 last year, he was back in Britain again and was found hidden in a trailer bound for the Nissan factory in Sunderland. He has been sentenced to two years behind bars and will be removed for a fifth time for his third breach of the deportation order.
Two Year Sentence and Fifth Deportation Order
Mr Recorder Nicholas Worsley sentenced Zani to two years behind bars for his 'blatant attempt to flout deportation'. The recorder told him: 'This will be the fifth occasion upon which you have ended up being removed from the UK.' 'This offending undermines the fabric of society and enables criminality.' Prosecutor Michael Bunch told the court Zani was found in the sealed trailer heading to the Nissan factory in Sunderland. He confessed he had travelled from Albania to Belgium, where he paid someone £5,000 to get him into the UK. 'Life was in danger', Zani claimed. Mark Harrison, defending, said: 'He will be returned back to Albania even though he maintains it is not a safe place for him to reside. He didn't set foot properly on UK soil, he was arrested hiding in a lorry. He chose the UK because he has friends and extended family here. He understands he cannot return.'
From Albania to Belgium and Back A Life of Risk
The court heard Zani was first questioned by the authorities in August 2017, when he confessed he had entered the UK in the 'back of a lorry'. He admitted he had been working illegally, had no fears about returning to Albania and signed a voluntary departure order which meant he was removed from Britain in December 2017. The claim that his life was in danger and his later asylum claims were refused culminated in his latest breach and the order for a fifth removal. He has now faced a series of deportations and ongoing legal battles as his case underscores a broader struggle over immigration enforcement.
