Albanian drug trafficker claims he can't be deported out of the UK because it would harm his sons' chances of becoming Premier League footballers

Daily Mail​

24-06-2025

An Albanian drug dealer on the run from Italian authorities claimed extradition from the UK would harm his sons' chances of becoming Premier League footballers would be hampered if he was deported.
Elis Lila, 40, has been living in the UK since 2016 having arrived here on the back of a lorry.
Before that he lived in the Italian town of Pesaro, near Rimini, where he spent six years involved in a drug smuggling gang.
He was convicted by the Italian courts in 2012 and sentenced to 11 years for drug trafficking and facilitating prostitution Albanian drug dealer says being deported would harm sons' chances of Premier League success but returned to Albania before following his wife to Britain without serving any of his sentence.
Lila was given leave to remain in the UK for two-and-half years.
He works as a self-employed tiler and has three children, with two of his sons on the books of Watford FC, currently in the Championship.
The eldest son is said to be 'on the cusp' of receiving a football scholarship at a Premier League club, although both children have good prospects of becoming professional footballers, a court heard.
Lila has spent the past four years fighting his deportation to Italy and tried to use Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) that protects his right to a family life.
In 2021 a district judge at Westminster Magistrates' Court ordered that Lila should be extradited to Italy under five European Arrest Warrants.
Lila challenged the ruling and a second extradition hearing was heard in 2024 where a another district judge again ordered he be deported to Italy.
He was granted right to appeal the decision and a hearing in the High Court took place in March.
Mr Justice Mould's report following the appeal states that Lila has been living a stable life with his family since his arrival in the UK in 2016.
His report states: 'He was a young man in his early twenties when he committed those offences. He is now a married man of 40 years of age, supporting a close family with three children.
'He has been living a stable life with his family since his arrival in the UK. He has built a business in the UK which enables him financially to support his family
'He and his wife organise their lives so as to provide the practical day-to-day support needed to enable his eldest children to build on their footballing skills and develop their potential as future professional football players.
'There is a very real risk that, if extradited to Italy, after serving his remaining sentence the appellant will not be permitted to return to live in the UK.
'The eldest sons' prospects as potential professional footballers and the practical problems that would result from the appellant's absence was in evidence before the District Judges and formed part of the overall evaluation of proportionality. '
But in dismissing his appeal and upholding the extradition orders, Mr Justice Mould pointed out that Lila was fully aware of the extradition proceedings against him before he started a family life and moved to the UK.
He states: 'I am satisfied that the appellant was under no illusion when he came to the UK in 2016 that he faced the real risk of proceedings seeking his return to Italy to serve his outstanding prison sentences.
'He has built his life in the UK since then in that knowledge.'
Mr Justice Mould also found that Mrs Lila would be able to cope in getting her children to football traiing while her husband was in prison in Italy.
He states: 'There is likely to be real hardship and the impact on family life will be considerable.
'Nevertheless, I am satisfied that the District Judges were correct to give weight to the proven resilience and resourcefulness of Mrs Lila, and the likelihood that she would be able to cope with the loss of the appellant.
'That was a factor which lessened the severity of the impact of extradition in this case.'
The court heard Lila had a difficult childhood. He met his wife in Italy in June 2006. Their first child was born on 20 September 2009 in Italy. They lived in Bologna at that time, where Lila worked as a tiler.
On 21 September 2011, he was excluded from Italy as a result of his convictions and returned to live in Albania. On 24 October 2011 he married his wife in Albania. His wife returned to Italy, but Lila remained in Albania as he was unable to return to Italy.
In January 2012 he was granted a temporary visa to return to Italy so he could attend for his trial. He attended that trial. He then returned to Albania as his visa was only temporary. His wife remained in Italy and would visit him in Albania.
In 2013 he found out his wife had moved to the UK. She had been trafficked in Italy and came to the UK to escape. His wife claimed asylum in the UK which was granted. Lila remained in Albania, but came to the UK in 2016 where he applied for immigration status in the UK as a spouse. He was granted leave to remain for two and a half years, subject to extension.
The judge said there would be 'emotional distress' to Lila and his family should he now be extradited and some 'resulting financial hardship'.
The court heard their eldest son is a talented young football player who clearly has a good future, with this being a potential career for him and Lila organised his work based on his wife's work so that he could collect the children from school and take them to football.
A District judge at a previous hearing said however 'this is a family who would cope'.
The judge said Lila's wife came to the UK with her two children, when she was extremely vulnerable, and despite the obvious difficulties, given the trauma that she experienced in Italy, she was able to settle in the UK, with her children and bring them up.
The judge said: 'I have no doubt that this was exceptionally difficult for the Appellant's wife and children but it demonstrates the strength of character of his wife and her amazing resilience and determination as a person and as a mother.
'For these three years, when she was no doubt at her most vulnerable, his wife built a life in the UK for her and her children, with no financial help from the Appellant and when he was in Albania and therefore, emotional support would be somewhat limited.
'I accept that it will be difficult emotionally for her should he be extradited but the strength of character and resilience she has shown, will no doubt mean that she will cope.'
The judge added: 'Sadly, emotional distress is not unusual in extradition cases.'
In relation to taking the children to football, in particular the son, and school and other activities, the judge said the wife will 'find a way to make this work'.
The judge said: 'I have no doubt that the Academy will offer what support they can to the family. If she closes the business, then I still find that she will continue to ensure that their son is able to attend the Academy'.