Portuguese drug dealer sentenced to five years in prison in UK cannot be deported due to European Union reasons free movement rules.

Antonio Monteiro was found by an immigration judge to be a “serious threat to the fundamental interests” of British society.

Once aiming to become a professional footballer in Britain, his life went off the rails when he couldn’t find a job.

Between 2018 and 2023, he received numerous convictions for drugs, robbery and weapons possession.

In his last conviction he was sentenced to five years in prison for supplying class A drugs, dangerous driving while trying to evade police and robbery. The offenses were committed in the community while serving a suspended sentence.

The judge said there were “serious reasons to believe that he continues to pose this threat” despite his promises to improve his behavior.

He claimed his rights under pre-Brexit freedom of movement rules. should not be returned To his native Portugal, on the grounds that he had been living in the UK for over 10 years.

According to the Brussels directives, which were valid until Brexit, EU citizens living in Britain for a long time could only be deported “on compelling grounds for public security”.

Removal attempts were blocked

The Home Office’s attempts to dismiss him have now been blocked, with the judge saying “I cannot find that compelling grounds have been put forward” despite Monteiro’s public threat.

In commuting his sentence, Monteiro blamed his inability to find work and associating with the “wrong people” for his failure to progress from an academy to professional football.

He said he intended to stay out of trouble once he escaped punishment, but “he was surrounded by the same people again, which made his situation even more difficult.”

He claimed that they wanted his debts before he went to prison to be paid. She feared for her and her family’s safety if she did not engage with them again.

“I know I made a really big mistake but I was helpless and found myself in a predicament not knowing what I could do. “I was scared and thought it was my only option, which I know is not the case,” he said.

“I deeply regret what happened and am focused on using my time in prison to build a better path for me after my release, so I will never find myself in this situation again.”

The Telegraph last month revealed how an immigrant gang member was convicted of manslaughter following the murder of an 18-year-old teenager could not be deported due to same EU rules.

Abdul Hafidah, 18, was killed in front of commuters during rush hour in Manchester in May 2016. The teenager, a childhood friend of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi, was run over by a car and then stabbed in the neck.

Among the 10 people convicted of murder was semi-professional football player William George (28).

George, a Belgian who moved to England with his family when he was eight, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for manslaughter for his role in the attack.

He was served with deportation papers in 2018 stating he posed a “real risk” of reoffending, but Home Office officials lost a six-year legal battle to remove George from the UK despite his association with Manchester’s notorious AO gang .