Albanian gangsters are sticking their fingers up at the Prison Service by posting videos from inside jail onto social media accounts.
One clip uploaded to TikTok showed convicted thug Edison Kaculi, 28, making a gun symbol with his hands as he and pals danced in a cell to pounding rap music.
Kaculi, who is thought to have entered the UK illegally three years ago, was sentenced in July for his part in what the judge described as an ‘appalling attack’ in a drugs dispute.
In one of several videos posted by a user over the last few days, Kaculi can be seen smoking in a cell and a voice says: ‘Gang s***, my boys! Come on, put put,’ as they use their hands to make gun gestures. It is not clear in which UK prison the footage was filmed.
Comments in two of the clips identify Kaculi – with one saying ‘Be free soon Edison Kaculi’
In one of several videos posted by a user over the last few days, Kaculi can be seen smoking in a cell and a voice says: ‘Gang s***, my boys! Come on, put put,’ as they use their hands to make gun gestures
Other pictures show a group of four men sitting in a cell wearing jogging trousers and tracksuits as they make offensive gestures or guns with their hands.
Comments in two of the clips identify Kaculi – with one saying ‘Be free soon Edison Kaculi’ while another ludicrously says: ‘Looks like a really good get together’ before asking for Kaculi’s contact details.
The videos were later removed after the MailOnline contacted the Ministry of Justice and a search of the jail was carried out, although it is not known if the phone was discovered.
But before they were removed more than 13,000 people saw the clips which make a mockery of the prison service and its attempt to clampdown on phones inside cells.
According to the latest Home Office statistics there are more than 1,330 Albanian inmates currently serving sentences in UK prisons costing the UK taxpayer more than £57 million a year.
Kaculi was jailed for his role in an attack that took place in Gravesend in June 2020 which left a man with a number of serious injuries.
Maidstone Crown Court heard how he had been stabbed five times in the legs, had lost several teeth and was left covered in cuts and bruises after being ambushed by two separate gangs of men within minutes.
Kaculi, of no fixed address, was the first offender on the scene and pushed the victim from his bicycle before repeatedly punching and kicking him.
He denied being responsible for the stabbing but pleaded guilty to attempting to wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and was jailed for two and a half years.
CCTV footage showed Kaculi and two other men arriving at the scene in a black Audi and the victim was left bloodied on the floor before the trio fled in the same car.
Minutes later another car pulled up and while the victim was still on the ground he was attacked by another three people who arrived in a second car.
Kaculi was jailed for his role in an attack that took place in Gravesend in June 2020 which left a man with a number of serious injuries
A source said: ‘The fact that these guys are supposed to be in prison and under intense security but getting hold of phone to make videos makes a mockery of the justice system’
Mobile phones are the most smuggled item in UK jails and are brought in by visitors or corrupt officers with officials saying that 20,000 were seized in 2017 alone
The man told police that two mobile phones and £300 cash had been stolen from him during the attacks.
Four other men who were later arrested were tried, convicted and given a total of nine years between them following their trial in December 2021.
Kaculi was eventually traced after he abandoned a car that had failed to stop when it was asked to do so by a police patrol in Gravesend.
Following his sentence, Detective Constable Dan Bister, of the Kent Chief Constable’s Crime Squad, said: ‘This was an appalling attack in front of terrified members of the public that was the cause of great concern among members of the community at the time.
‘Edison Kaculi and the others involved in the incident did not appear to care whether their victim lived or died but can count themselves very lucky that he survived, despite suffering some very serious injuries that could have quite easily claimed his life.
‘There is absolutely no place for this or any other level of violence in Kent and we do not rest until those responsible are arrested and brought to justice. As Kaculi discovered, there is no hiding place from the law and we do not forget about people like him or commit such serious offences in our county.’
A source said: ‘The fact that these guys are supposed to be in prison and under intense security but getting hold of phone to make videos makes a mockery of the justice system. It’s ridiculous and it’s not just the Prison Service who need to raise their game but also social media sites who allow these clips to be posted.’
Earlier this week it emerged Stephen Lawrence killer David Norris had been transferred to a more secure prison after being caught twice with a phone in three months.
He was also stripped of some of his privileges and been denied the possibility of moving to an open prison ahead of a parole hearing.
Mobile phones are the most smuggled item in UK jails and are brought in by visitors or corrupt officers with officials saying that 20,000 were seized in 2017 alone.
Attempts to combat the increasing use include wider use of X-ray machines and jammers to prevent calls being made or received.
A Prison Service spokesperson told MailOnline:’We work closely with TikTok and the videos have been removed. Anyone found in possession of a phone may face extra time behind bars.
‘Our recent £100 million investment in airport-style security has already blocked more than 20,000 attempts to smuggle contraband into prisons.’
TikTok declined to comment but a source close to the platform said it was ‘working directly with the Prison Service and where accounts were identified as being filmed inside jails, they were closed down’.
