An asylum seeker caught driving a car packed with tanks of laughing gas has been granted leave to remain in the UK, where he lives in a tax-payer funded hotel.
Zanko Akbar, 24, was stopped by police driving a Nissan Micra in Bournemouth, Dorset, in December 2024.
After he was arrested for driving without a licence or insurance, officers searched the vehicle and found four large canisters of nitrous oxide – also known as hippy crack.
A number of balloons used for inhaling the colourless gas were also recovered, and a ‘large amount’ of cash was found in Akbar’s pockets.
Despite being made a Class C drug in 2023, laughing gas is rapidly increasing in popularity among young people, with doctors warning of an epidemic of users being admitted to hospital.
It is particularly prevalent in Bournemouth, where young people are often seen openly inhaling nitrous oxide balloons on the beach in the summer time.
Akbar, who needed a Kurdish-speaking interpreter, appeared at Poole Magistrates’ Court last week having previously pleaded guilty to possessing the banned substance.
Akbar lives in a taxpayer-funded migrant hotel in Sandiacre, Derbyshire, but turned up 190 miles away in Bournemouth driving a Nissan Micra car on December 22, 2024.
Officers found four large canisters of nitrous oxide when they searched Zanko Akbar’s car after he was arrested for driving without a licence or insurance
Jason Spelman, prosecuting, told the court that Akbar’s driving in the town centre caught the attention of police officers on foot patrol who approached the vehicle when it stopped.
Mr Spelman said: ‘A Nissan Micra came to their attention driving up and down the road. The vehicle was seen about 10 minutes later on Commercial Road and the defendant was seen in the driver’s seat.
‘Police asked him for divers’ licence and he refused to give details and appeared nervous and started to talk in a foreign language.
‘He had a large amount of cash in his pocket, making the officers more suspicious about what was going on.
‘He was arrested for driving without a licence and insurance.
‘The car was searched and found in the car were a number of balloons and four nitrous oxide canisters. These canisters are very large, we aren’t talking about little portable things.’
Mr Spelman made a point of showing the magistrates a photo of the canisters to demonstrate their size.
The court heard Akbar told the officers that the nitrous oxide was for a party he was going to in London.
Laughing gas is particularly prevalent in Bournemouth, where young people are often seen openly inhaling nitrous oxide balloons on the beach in the summer time
Laughing gas abuse has been linked to the deaths of hundreds of young people in recent years and was criminalised in the UK in 2023 (stock image)
After he was arrested he gave no comment to police.
Aneel Liaqat, defending, told the court his client became dependent on drugs following the deaths of his two sisters and that he now suffers from anxiety.
He said Akbar was driving up and down a road in the town centre while waiting for a friend and did not know the area.
Mr Liaqat said: ‘He tells me that the class C drug that he had in his vehicle was for a party that he was attending in London. There was no other intention to do anything with that drug.
‘This offence was over a year ago and he tells me he was heavily dependent on drugs at that point. He tells me he turned to drugs when he lost his two sisters.
‘He did enter the country as an illegal immigrant and there is an application with the Home Office to decide his status.
‘He is residing in accommodation provided by the Home Office and he tells me he receives between £7 to £9 per week from them.
‘He suffers from mental health issues, namely depression and anxiety.’
Akbar then told the court: ‘I have already been granted permission to stay in the UK by the Home Office.
‘I have got permission to work in this country and I am expecting to find a job of my own income and won’t rely on the government in the future.’
Magistrates handed Akbar a 12 month community order that requires him to carry out 50 hours of community service and do 15 days of drug rehab.
He was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £114 at £10 per month.
Nitrous oxide gives abusers a hallucinogenic high when inhaled.
Laughing gas abuse has been linked to the deaths of hundreds of young people in recent years and was criminalised in the UK in 2023.
Doctors have warned of an ‘epidemic’ of serious complications from abusers. And some NHS trusts have reported a spike in hospitalisations in recent years.
Ellen Mercer, a student from Buckinghamshire, died in 2023 after inhaling three large canisters a day.
In the weeks before her death, she could not walk or go to the toilet after burning her legs with a canister and becoming bedbound.
Connor Wilton, 28, of Derbyshire, was hospitalised for three months in 2022 after suffering irreparable nerve damage from inhaling nearly 500 balloons of laughing gas each weekend.
His body was starved of oxygen by the drug and he now has to use a wheelchair.
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick has previously spoken out about the menace of hippy crack.
He said: ‘The dangers of nitrous oxide have been well publicised; it can cause side effects including headaches and anxiety through to severe nerve damage.
‘When it became a Class C drug in 2023, I welcomed this move after years of campaigning for this tougher legislation based on evidence around the harmful health risks and adverse impact it has on communities due to anti-social behaviour.
‘I recognise and share the ongoing concerns members of the public have around nitrous oxide and want to be clear that it is not harmless and should never be normalised.
‘I urge parents and families to speak to children and young people about the dangers of this substance as it is incumbent upon all of us to ensure the risks and consequences associated with taking this drug are known and made clear.’
He urged members of the public who see people inhaling laughing gas this summer to report it to the police.