An Albanian murderer has shared a TikTok video from his British prison cell begging to be transferred to a jail in his home country so he can see his family and avoid the 'terrible' food. 

Eugert Merizaj, 32, has been repeatedly posting on social media after being handed a 32-year sentence in May 2022 for the shotgun killing of rival drug dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein.

Using a mobile phone behind bars is illegal, but guards at HMP Manchester seem incapable of stopping the thug - who has even livestreamed himself playing online games for tokens that can be exchanged for cash. 

In his latest clip this month, Merizaj claims UK officials are stopping him from being transferred to Albania to serve the rest of his sentence there. 

Asked when he expects to be sent home, the killer replies: 'I have done all the applications. It seems to me that those of us serving life sentences are not moving at all.'

A prisoner transfer agreement between the UK and Albania came into force in May 2023. 

Intended to save taxpayer money, it allows for the removal of any Albanians serving more than four years in British jails, so that they can then serve the remainder of their sentences back home.

However, it has been dogged by delays and a source at the Albanian Prison Service told the Daily Mail that only ten Albanian prisoners have been transferred so far. 

In his latest clip this month, Merizaj claims UK officials are stopping him from being transferred to Albania to serve the rest of his sentence there. 

Asked when he expects to be sent home, the killer replies: 'I have done all the applications. It seems to me that those of us serving life sentences are not moving at all.'

A prisoner transfer agreement between the UK and Albania came into force in May 2023. 

Intended to save taxpayer money, it allows for the removal of any Albanians serving more than four years in British jails, so that they can then serve the remainder of their sentences back home.

However, it has been dogged by delays and a source at the Albanian Prison Service told the Daily Mail that only ten Albanian prisoners have been transferred so far. 

He has also posed on Instagram wearing £550 Dolce & Gabbana trainers outside his cell vaping with the caption 'stronger than ever' written in Albanian. 

The Government is keen to reduce the number of foreigners in British prisons to relieve the strain on the taxpayer, who pays £40,000 a year for every prison place. 

Under its current 'early removal scheme', foreign offenders of all nationalities can be deported after serving 50 per cent of their sentence in the UK, but this is set to be brought forward to the 30 per cent point in September. 

Anyone deported under the scheme is free upon arrival in their home country and is not required to serve any further jail time there. 

There were 1,099 Albanians in prisons in England and Wales last year, making them the largest group of foreign prisoners. 

Merizaj was part of a gang who lured cannabis dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein to a house in Hartlepool in 2019 before blasting him with a shotgun.

He was tracked down in Belgium after the killing and extradited to the UK. Three other members of the Albanian gang were jailed for manslaughter.

Jailing him for life in 2022, Mr Justice Lavender accepted Merizaj did not pull the trigger and was not in the house when the killing took place, but said he had been heavily involved in its planning and had bought weapons including an axe.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'The majority of returns happen under the Early Removal Scheme rather than Prisoner Transfer Agreement.

'Prisoner Transfer Agreements are just one way in which we get foreign criminals out of our jails. Since taking office, this Government has deported 4,532 foreign offenders - a 14 percent increase on the previous 12 months.

'We're also deploying staff to 80 jails to speed up the removal of prisoners who have no right to be in this country.'

The Home Office declined to comment. TikTok has been contacted for comment. 

(Source: BBC)