A serial Albanian burglar, twice deported from the UK, is openly mocking British authorities by flaunting an extravagant lifestyle funded by crime on social media, while officials admit they are powerless to remove him due to an asylum claim.
The Bling-Fuelled Taunts of a Deported Criminal
Dorian Puka, 31, has spent the past year posting videos showcasing his life behind the wheel of a £185,000 Lamborghini, wearing Rolex watches worth tens of thousands, and dining at top restaurants. This brazen display comes despite him being banned from the UK after jail sentences for burglary in 2016 and 2017. Astonishingly, the Home Office has confirmed it cannot currently deport him because he lodged an application for asylum upon his most recent illegal return.
Puka first entered the UK illegally in the back of a lorry in 2014. His criminal career began swiftly, with his first conviction in 2016 for a burglary in Twickenham, caught via a homeowner's webcam. After a nine-month sentence and deportation, he returned illegally and was jailed again in 2017 for three-and-a-half years for a burglary spree in Surrey. Deported a second time in 2020, he was back in Britain by the year's end, documenting his journey on Instagram.
A Family's Shame in a Poverty-Stricken Hometown
While Puka parades his wealth online, his actions have brought profound shame to his family in his hometown of Lac, Albania. His parents, Leke, 63, and Gentjana Puka, 51, are both respected teachers who live in a modest £35,000 apartment. They have been left devastated and embarrassed by their son's notoriety, which has been featured on Albanian news.
A close family source told the Daily Mail: "Everyone knows about Dorian... it's a small town so everyone knows they are Leke and Gentjana's boys and they are really embarrassed." The couple have four sons; two, including Dorian and his brother Denis, 28, are illegally in the UK and involved in crime. Denis recently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle at Chester Crown Court. Another son, Gerti, 26, is a teacher like his parents.
Lac, a town of 13,000 an hour north of Tirana, offers few opportunities since its factories closed after the fall of communism. It has gained an infamous reputation as an 'academy of burglars', where young men are recruited into gangs known as 'Hawks'. A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime noted that returnees with expensive cars and jewellery became "role models for poor and impressionable kids".
Asylum Claim and a Lavish Lifestyle on Hold
Facing deportation yet again, Puka lodged an asylum claim. He has been on immigration bail and wearing an electronic tag since 2023, awaiting a tribunal decision. During this limbo, his social media activity has skyrocketed. His car collection, documented online, has included a Ferrari, Bentley Bentayga, Mercedes AMG, Porsche Cayenne, and Jaguar XF, alongside luxury holidays at five-star hotels like Carbis Bay in Cornwall.
When confronted by the Daily Mail, Puka claimed he was now "clean". He stated, "I messed my life up a few years ago but now I'm clean... I paid for what I did." He refused to explain the source of his wealth, saying, "The police know what I do, the immigration service know what I do." Regarding his asylum claim, he said, "I am not milking the system but I have human rights like everyone else."
The case highlights significant challenges in the UK's immigration enforcement. Albanian nationals have been characterised as an 'acute threat' by law enforcement due to the growing dominance of organised crime groups. Puka's high-profile antics risk glamorising a life of crime to others from his hometown, even as they crush the respectable parents who tried to steer youth toward education.
