British drug offender loses battle against deportation

Written by Gill Bonnett for RNZ

A British man who laundered drugs money and conspired to import party pills has lost a battle against deportation.

Craig Williams, 53, who also has Australian citizenship, was last year sentenced to 12 months home detention.

The former recruitment company director appealed his deportation to the immigration and protection tribunal.

He argued his daughter was settled at her Auckland school and his 80-year-old British mother would not be able to join them if they moved to Australia.

Williams did not wish to live in England, but the tribunal ruled all three could move there to keep the family together if he was deported.

"The Tribunal finds that deportation of the appellant will not be contrary to the right of the family to protection as the fundamental group unit of society because there is a viable option for the family to remain together by relocation to the United Kingdom," it said.

"[Williams] and his mother were born in England; the mother lived there for the first 76 years of her life; the appellant lived there until his early adulthood and gained work experience; and the daughter can obtain citizenship."

It said there were no exceptional humanitarian circumstances to reverse his deportation.

Williams laundered his co-accused's drug money in 2011.

He used an assumed name to send $1,053,500 overseas, and the following year $407,600.

He and his co-accused conspired to import several kilogrammes of drugs but he was arrested before the orders arrived in New Zealand.

Williams asked the tribunal to allow him and his family to stay a further year to prepare for the move, however the tribunal ruled they should leave by the end of December.