Labour’s promise to deport thousands of foreign criminals by the end of the year is in danger of being undermined by a series of shocking failures by judges in deporting these offenders.

An investigation by the Mail may reveal how an Albanian man jailed for drugs offences eight years ago was given permission by magistrates to stay in the UK – only to be jailed again last week for planning to run a £400,000 cannabis farm.

Resul Rahova was able to avoid deportation in 2020 by arguing that he was at risk in his home country due to a “blood feud.”

But last week he was sentenced to 14 months in prison for his cannabis farming scheme in Norwich.

And a Polish driver who killed a father while under the influence of drugs in 2020 when he fell asleep at the wheel was also allowed to stay because immigration judges earlier this year said he did not pose a “real threat” to society.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (pictured) vowed to tackle Britain’s immigration crisis

An investigation by the Mail can reveal how an Albanian man who was jailed for drugs offences eight years ago was jailed again last week for planning to run a £400,000 cannabis farm (stock photo)

Jaroslaw Bakula killed 62-year-old Steven West in a collision in Cornwall in July 2020 and was sentenced to seven years in prison at Truro Crown Court in January 2023.

Meanwhile, South African Mawande Sicwebu – who was sentenced to 32 months in prison at Ipswich Crown Court in February 2017 for the abduction and abuse of an 11-year-old girl – was given permission to stay in June because his family would be “devastated” if he were kicked out.

Figures last week show that the number of foreign criminals released from prison has reached a record high of over 17,000.

At the end of June, 17,428 foreign criminals had been released from prison but not deported.

It was the first time that the Interior Ministry updated this number since 2022. At that time it was just under 12,000.

This means that over the past two years, an average of seven foreign criminals per day have been released to live in the community.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper promised last week to tackle Britain’s immigration crisis, but her campaign risks being derailed by immigration courts blocking the deportation of serious foreign criminals on human rights grounds.

Dame Priti Patel (pictured) said the public was fed up with foreign criminals being “let off the hook”.

Last night, former Home Secretary and Conservative leadership contender Dame Priti Patel said the public was “fed up” with foreign criminals being “let off the hook”.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We are committed to deporting foreign national offenders at the earliest possible opportunity and we remain focused on taking cases through the legal process so that we can remove any obstacles to deportation.”