An Albanian national was found to have entered the country illegally and discovered after being arrested during an investigation into the murder of Tomasz Waga. He told police he had entered the UK on the back of a lorry.
Elton Ziu, 33, was one of a number of people arrested after Mr Waga was beaten to death while robbing a cannabis factory in Cardiff. The 23-year-old travelled to London to Cardiff on January 28, 2021, with Carl Davies with plans to break into the factory Newport Road with plants worth £120,000.
But Mr Waga was descended on by the organised crime gang responsible for the factory and beaten before his body was dumped in the street. Members of the gang Josif Nushi, 27, and Mihal Dhana, 29, were found guilty of Mr Waga's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Gardener Hysland Aliaj, 31, who discovered Mr Waga at the cannabis factory, was found guilty of manslaughter.
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During the investigation into Mr Waga's death, police became aware of Ziu and traced him to an address in Perth, Scotland. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard he was arrested on April 24, 2023, and brought to south Wales for questioning.
During his police interview, Ziu admitted he had entered the UK illegally in the back of a lorry having previously been held in an immigration detention centre in France. He admitted having entered the UK, he made no attempt to attend an immigration office or seek asylum. Any matters in relation to the death of Mr Waga were not proceeded with.
Ziu, of no fixed abode, later pleaded guilty to arriving in UK without valid entry clearance. He has no previous convictions. Prosecutor Ffion Tomos said the defendant would be deported upon completing his sentence.
Defence barrister Christopher Evans said his client was a hardworking man and previously worked on a family-run farm in Albania. He said the defendant came to this country seeking a better life.
Sentencing, Recorder Neil Owen-Casey said protocols for foreign nationals entering the UK were "there for a good reason". He added: "If there's no deterrent people will try to do exactly what you have done, the system will be undermined and that cannot be right at all."
Ziu was sentenced to a total of 16 months imprisonment. Prosecutor Ffion Tomos said the defendant would be deported upon completing his sentence.
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