A murderer from Albania has reportedly made £20,000 in profit from a TikTok livestream he recorded inside a UK prison cell.
He allegedly made the money in just seven minutes of livestreaming from a contraband phone at HMP Manchester.
Eugert Merizaj was convicted of murdering rival drug dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein and given a 32-year-sentence in May 2022.
Merizaj was part of an organized crime group that lured rival dealer Hemawand Ali Hussein to a home in Hartlepool, County Durham in 2019 before shooting him in the head.
At his sentencing 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.
At the time of Hussein’s death, his partner, Jennifer Buller, said his murder "crushed and devastated" her and his two sons.
"He was a happy, laid-back person and a brilliant father," she told the court previously.
"Whatever [Hussein] had become involved in, he did not deserve to die."
Since his imprisonment, Merizaj’s social media content suggests he has access to a range of prison luxuries, including a TV, a speaker, and a games console.
He has also posted a picture on Instagram vaping whilst wearing Dolce & Gabbana trainers worth £550 outside his cell.
Since the discovery of his digital offences, Merizaj will now be moved to Peqin prison, a high-security jail in the west of Albania, home to some of the most notorious criminals in the country.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “This behaviour is completely unacceptable. We have taken immediate action to ensure these posts are removed and are urgently investigating this incident.
“We are investing £40 million in security measures to clamp down on illicit items. Prisoners who break the rules can face extra jail time.”
