Golaj, a small village in northeastern Albania with around 4,000 inhabitants, is located just ten minutes from the city of Has. However, in recent years, the community has faced a massive exodus of young people seeking a better life abroad.
The few jobs the village offers are mostly limited to low-income farming or roadside cafes, which survive thanks to the occasional tourist. Local residents say that about 60% of Golaj's youth have emigrated to the United Kingdom, in search of better-paying jobs.
The emigration has been so great that one local resident, ironically, told the British newspaper The Sun: "There are no more gangsters here, they are all in England."
While most Albanians in exile are honest citizens and proud of their work ethic, their connections to criminal groups and drug networks have, unfortunately, gained a bad reputation internationally.
According to data from the British Ministry of Justice, one in every 50 Albanians in Britain ended up in prison, according to statistics from last year.
