A violent gang leader suspected of drugs and gun offences has been deported to Jamaica after police proved he was a danger to the public.
Andre O’Neil Grant, 30, was removed under a new police tactic to target foreign criminals who are suspected of being involved in serious gang crime.
Jamaican Grant has 10 convictions for relatively minor offences including driving offences, possession of cannabis, breaches of community orders, deception and battery. He was acquitted of a murder charge in 2011.
Grant was targeted by the Met’s Operation Nexus squad and detained as an overstayer on November 14. Police used intelligence about him to argue against his bid to stay in the UK on human rights grounds.
Since its launch last September more than 1,000 suspected rapists, burglars, thieves, fraudsters, gang members and other offenders have been removed under the Nexus operation. The 100-strong squad targets foreign nationals either committing, or suspected of committing crime.
However, lawyers acting for deported suspects have criticised the operation for undermining the principle of “innocent until proven guilty”.
