Fake Charity Boss Smuggled Migrants and Ran Illegal Cannabis Gangs
A woman posing as a charity founder to help asylum seekers was secretly smuggling illegal immigrants into the UK—while letting them work in cannabis farms to pay for her fake ‘charity’ services.
‘Charity’ Front for Crime Empire
Pranvera Smith set up Freedom to Stay in 2014, claiming to aid vulnerable Albanian asylum seekers in Birmingham. Alongside partner Flamur Daka, she ran the group that fraudulently pocketed a £10,000 Big Lottery Fund grant.
But a West Midlands police probe uncovered the shocking truth: Smith and Daka were lining their pockets with taxpayers’ cash and charging migrants hefty fees—around £1,000 each—for so-called free help. Many asylum seekers ended up slaving in underpaid car wash jobs or forced cannabis farms to meet Smith’s demands.
Albanian Mafia ‘Grandmother’ Intimidated Victims
Smith openly called herself ‘La Nonna’—meaning ‘Grandmother’ of the Albanian mafia—to bully and control immigrants. Some were even rescued from brutal cannabis farms during the investigation.
The gang trafficked people from Albania in trucks via Ghent, Belgium. On 2 July, officers from the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) and East Flanders Human Trafficking Unit rescued a 21-year-old man hidden in a lorry at the Belgian port.
Luxury Lifestyle Funded by Crime
Freedom to Stay’s Birmingham offices and several homes were raided, including a Bearwood restaurant Smith converted for around £30,000—used to launder criminal proceeds. Financial records revealed over 130 victims were charged a total of at least £130,000 in just the first half of 2020.
Smith and Daka were charged with conspiracy to breach UK immigration law. Smith also faced fraud over the lottery grant and supplying cannabis, while Daka was charged with supplying cocaine. Both admitted the offences.
Justice Served: Jail Terms for Trafficking Duo
At Birmingham Crown Court on 29 October, Smith was jailed for five years and four months, Daka for four years.
“These were cynical, calculating crimes,” said Detective Chief Inspector Will Henley from ROCU. “Smith and Daka pretended to be kind-hearted, but they were ruthless traffickers, charging victims up to £1,000 each after they paid traffickers £10,000 to enter the UK illegally.”
“The rescued man was forced to hide in a lorry for the whole journey. They planned to smuggle up to 30 people a month.”
“Smith’s ‘La Nonna’ nickname was to intimidate. She withheld critical documents if people couldn’t pay. Meanwhile, they spent the money on property in Albania, Turkey, and a restaurant here.”
“Together with Belgian authorities, we’ve stopped many more from falling victim to this despicable racket. Crime doesn’t pay.”
