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Ramiz, who had a stroke, cried at the memory of his son who left the Albanian town of Kukes to work in London to help support him.<\/p>\n
Shaking between sobs, he told the Daily Express: \u201cAll of the Kukes younger generation are going to London. They say it is great for money.\u201d<\/p>\n
He worries about his son who spent three months in immigration detention and, when released, ended up washing cars.<\/p>\n
Ramiz is sent money, but it is not a lot \u2013 far from the riches flaunted by those who have returned from the UK.<\/p>\n
Most cars whizzing by on Kukes\u2019s main street are new, expensive Mercedes and BMWs with British number plates.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> ‘I’m planning to leave Albania and get a small boat to UK as soon as I’m 16’<\/strong><\/p>\n The contrast to the plight of those who stay could not be more stark.<\/p>\n In fields around the town, women use hand ploughs to cultivate the earth.<\/p>\n Homes closer to mountains are abandoned entirely. The most intact now house livestock, with the rest collapsing slowly into the ground.<\/p>\n Sadije Cenaj, a resident of a nearby village, said the money her nephews earned in London saved her life. Holding photos proudly, she said: \u201cWithout them, I would be dead. They pay my medical bills.\u201d<\/p>\n Her home is surrounded by properties enhanced by British riches but remain empty for most of the year.<\/p>\n Owners return for a brief holiday in August.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong>
\u2018I smuggle 6,000 migrants a year into UK on small boats – business is booming'[UK] <\/strong>
Albania’s ‘mini London’ made richer thanks to migrants sending money from the UK[WORLD ] <\/strong>
Number of migrants being kicked out of Britain soars as deportations double[UK] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/5074981.jpg?r=1700473365731\")
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