An Albanian drug dealer who posed for photographs with £250,000 in cash has been permitted to remain in the UK despite attempts by authorities to deport him.
Olsi Beheluli, 33, who arrived in Britain aged nine, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his "senior role" in a heroin trafficking ring after being caught with eight kilograms of high-purity drugs in 2015.
The Home Office and National Crime Agency have sought to prove he fraudulently obtained British citizenship, arguing he lied on his naturalisation application about criminal involvement just eight months before his arrest.
However, tribunal judges have ruled there is insufficient evidence to support deportation, ordering another hearing whilst Beheluli remains in the country.
Olsi Beheluli had a 'senior role' in a heroin trafficking
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Beheluli was arrested in October 2014 whilst transporting heroin worth £200,000 to a "stash house" in Neasden, north London, where police discovered counterfeit identity documents and scales.
The Home Office argued that dealing with such valuable drugs contradicted his promise on his April 2014 citizenship application that there was nothing "which reflected adversely on his character".
Officials claimed it was "incredible" to presume this was his first drug offence, stating: "It is beyond logic to accept that [he] would be trusted with such a consignment of drugs if [he was] not already involved in the supply of Class A drugs."
They maintained that only someone with an established criminal history would be entrusted with eight kilograms of high-purity heroin.
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Beheluli was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court in 2015
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A lower-tier tribunal judge dismissed the deportation case, ruling there was "no surveillance or other evidence from the NCA" and "no opinion evidence from a police officer" to support claims that only a senior gang member would handle such quantities of drugs.
The judge found "no evidence of sufficient cogency" to establish Beheluli's involvement in criminality when he declared nothing adverse about his character.
However, an upper tribunal judge challenged this decision, stating the lack of physical evidence did not provide "a complete and incontrovertible answer to the common-sense point made by the Secretary of State".
The upper tribunal ordered a rehearing, concluding the Home Secretary's stance "was deserving of respect and was capable of supporting the common-sense stance".
Beheluli arrived in the UK with his family in November 2000, with his father claiming asylum. After initial rejections, they were granted discretionary leave to remain in 2006, which became indefinite leave to remain.
During searches, police discovered a shocking image on Beheluli's phone showing him beside £250,000 in cash, which he had also posted on social media.
He claimed it was a relative's money photographed in Albania, but detectives matched the wallpaper and furniture to his former rental property.
At Blackfriars Crown Court in April 2015, Beheluli was found guilty alongside gang members Besim Topalli and Azem Proshka, with the trio receiving a combined 31-year sentence.
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