The Albanian village whose gangsters have 'all left for the UK'

Golaj is a village in northwestern Albania with a population today of around 4,000 and just a ten-minute drive from the town of Has. In recent years the community has seen most of its young people leave in search of a better life.

The only jobs available in the village tend to be low paid ones in farming or roadside cafes which rely on passing tourists. Residents estimate that six in ten of the community's young people have moved to the UK in search of better paid work. The exodus has been so great that one local wryly told The Sun: "There's no gangsters left here because they're all in the UK."

While the majority of Albanians are law abiding citizens and pride themselves on their work ethic, links to criminal and drug gangs have unfortunately become somewhat infamous.

One in 50 of the Albanians in the UK were in jail, according to Ministry of Justice figures for last year.

In fact, Golaj is the original home of two Albanian brothers expelled from the UK after they were accused of being members of an organised crime network by the National Crime Agency.

Isuf and Fation Dauti worked in construction and cleaning jobs in the UK, but were soon spotted splashing the dosh.

Despite earning modest wages, the brothers lived lives of luxury, spending cash on designer gear in Harrods, driving top-end cars including Bentleys, and renting a £2,700-a-month flat in Chelsea.

However, the National Crime Agency in 2021 said evidence allegedly showed that Fation, 40, was part of an Albanian gang involved in drugs, people-smuggling and money laundering.

He was described as being a "risk to national security" by the agency.

Following his departure from the UK, his brother Isuf is said to have taken a "more active" role in the gang.

The brothers have two cousins who are also from Golaj and who were the masterminds of a gang that allegedly smuggled hundreds of illegal migrants - including children - into Britain in the back of lorries.

Migrants had to pay £13,000 for a seat in the front and £8,000 for a place in the back.