EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Global ‘blood money’ trail with tentacles from Pakistan to a non-descript London semi and a ruthless people smuggler in Turkey… that ended with a boy, 14, drowning off the coast of Italy trying to get to Europe to become a doctor

• EXCLUSIVE: Italian authorities have confirmed 68 people died in the shipwreck 
• Officials have said they expect the death toll to rise further as the search the beach near Steccato di Cuto
• READ MORE: Asylum seeker who piloted boat carrying 45 people across Channel jailed

A money trail left by people smugglers who led up to 100 migrants to their deaths by drowning off the Italian coast this week can be traced all the way from Pakistan to a quiet London suburb, a Mail Online investigation has found.

Payments made from this inconspicuous semi-detached house Greenford, in the shadow of Wembley Stadium, helped secure the passage of a teenager called Azan Afridi – who dreamed of becoming a doctor in Europe – on the ill-fated boat that was to break up within sight of the Italian coast.

The 14-year-old, who hailed from Peshawar in Pakistan, was among the dozens who drowned when their wooden boat sank off the Calabria coast in the early hours of last Sunday, following a perilous four day attempted crossing from Turkey.

Azan’s body has yet to be found, but his family have been told by survivors of the tragedy, one of the worst in recent years involving migrants, that he was on the boat and seen in the water – so they have given up hope of him being found alive.

Italian authorities have confirmed 68 people died in the shipwreck and expect the death toll to rise significantly further – possibly into the hundreds – as they continue to search the sea and beach near the village of Steccato di Cuto.

Now Mail Online has learned that the money trail securing Azan’s seat on the boat spanned four countries – stretching from Pakistan via Turkey to Italy and ultimately the UK.

Azan Afridi (L) with his uncle Abdullah Khan (R). Mr Khan resides in London, as he was told to transfer money to a people smuggler, who is said to have previously arranged for dozens of migrants to make the crossing

Boat victim Azan Afridi aged 14 migrants boat sank off Italy’s southern Calabria region on Sunda

Khan’s brother Mohamed Sabir, a delivery driver who lives in Turin, Italy, was sent a similar request on January 13th and did so from a Western Union office a few days later. His payments are also thought to have gone to London

Twelve days after the money was transferred Azan boarded a boat in the port of Izmir and set sail for Italy

It began two months ago in the city of Peshawar, close to the border with Afghanistan, when the teen’s father, named Hamid, hoping to invest in a better life in the UK for his son, wired £10,000 to a known people smuggler based in Istanbul, Turkey.

Azan took a plane for the first leg of his journey, flying from Pakistan to Istanbul in January. On arrival he was put up in the home of the smuggler his father had paid to help him while waiting to cross into Europe.

That smuggler has been named by Azan’s grieving family as an Afghan called Mohammed Homayoun Amin – and is said to operate out of a shop near the famous Blue Mosque in the city.

While Azan waited for a place on the boat that would supposedly carry him safely to a new life the people smuggler then contacted the teen’s two uncles, Abdullah Khan in Greenford, West London and another living in the Italian city of Turin.

It’s unclear why he targeted the uncles, but it’s thought the boy offered their details possibly because the smuggler was struggling to raise his father – or because his father had simply run out of cash.

The demand was for more money on top of the £10,000 already received to pay for food for the teenager as he waited to make the 1,200-mile journey across the Ionian Sea to Italy.

The people smuggler, who is said to have previously arranged for dozens of migrants to make the crossing, told Khan he was to transfer the money to his two “daughters” who, like him, live in London.

Concerned about the boy’s well-being while unaccompanied, Mr Khan, a security guard, felt compelled to comply and sent £150 from his Barclays Bank account to the two individuals named as the smuggler’s relatives. .

He was not given their address or other contact details but only their names – both common ones – and bank account details.

At the same time Khan’s brother Mohamed Sabir, a delivery driver who lives in Turin, Italy, was sent a similar request on January 13th and did so from a Western Union office a few days later. His payments are also thought to have gone to London.

Azan’s uncle’s anger is directed at the people smuggler, but also his brother-in-law in Pakistan for putting the teen in mortal danger

Mohammed Sabir speaks to MailOnline, uncle of boat victim Azan Afridi aged 14 migrants boat sank off Italy’s southern Calabria region

It’s unclear why he targeted the uncles, but it’s thought the boy offered their details possibly because the smuggler was struggling to raise his father

Mr Khan’s home in London. At his semi-detached home in Greenford, Mr Khan is struggling to come to terms with the loss of his nephew

An aerial photograph taken on February 28, 2023 shows a jacket and a life jacket washed up on the beach, two days after a boat of migrants sank off Italy’s southern Calabria region, in Steccato di Cutro, south of Crotone

Italian prosecutors on March 3, 2023 began investigating why rescuers arrived too late to the deadly shipwreck at the weekend, even as the coastguard brought to safety another boat carrying hundreds of migrants

Twelve days after the money was transferred Azan boarded a boat in the port of Izmir and set sail for Italy. Along with at least 14 other children, including an unidentified baby, he then perished when the boat sank in heavy seas.

Today coffins containing the bodies of the victims who have so far been recovered are laid out in a sports hall in the town of Crotone to allow relatives to pay their respects.

The five white coffins containing the youngest victims are adorned with teddy bears and toys. Most of the victims so far identified were from Afghanistan.

Outside the hallway, Azan’s cousin Sabir, 29, was weeping when MailOnline approached him for his account of how his family had paid what they now call ‘blood money’ to the people trafficking his nephew.

He said: ’Azan was to come to Turin and live with me. He wanted a new life with a good education and had hopes that one day he would be a doctor.

‘His life has been snatched away and I have nothing but hatred for the person who arranged this in Turkey. Who would put so many people on a boat. All they cared about was to make as much money as possible, and no care for the lives of those on the boat.’

Sabir said his cousin had previously attempted to leave Turkey by land by sneaking over the border with Bulgaria. He was caught four times and sent back to Istanbul.

The boat trip was the final attempt to reach Europe.

Survivors have told police they each paid £8000 for a one-way ticket – giving the smugglers a £1m payday.

The sea route from Izmir to Italy has become increasingly popular with a people smuggler as they have a greater chance of not being stopped by police.

The bereaved family of Azan Afridi (pictured above) the wait for the arrest and charging of the gangster who sold him the boat trip

A copy of the bank transfers from UK to the smugglers daughter, who lives in London

The land route would involve a 2,225 trip through Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and then into Italy.

A boat trip skirts the Greek islands, and the expanse of the Calabria coast is a favoured dropping off point as well as Sicily.

Last year around 11,000 migrants travelled to Italy from Turkey.

At his semi-detached home in Greenford, Mr Khan is struggling to come to terms with the loss of his nephew.

His anger is directed at the people smuggler, but also his brother-in-law in Pakistan for putting the teen in mortal danger.

He told Mail Online: ‘Azan was injured when he tried to cross the border and his foot swelled up. I told his father that it was too dangerous and that he should come to Turkey and collect him.

‘He did not listen and said he would be okay.’

Mr Khan, a father of two who lives at the house in Greenford – we are not identifying his full address – wants those responsible to be held to account.

He plans to hand over all the information he has on the people smuggler to police in the hope that those bank account details he paid can lead them to the gang.

The family now have no means of tracing the smuggler themselves as the gang deleted all WhatsApp messages immediately and completely immediately after the migrant boat sank with huge loss of life. They have no record of other details.

Baby clothes lie on a beach next to the wreckage of the vessel from Sunday’s shipwreck. The boat is reportedly believed to have had around 200 people onboard when it departed from Turkey

A lifesaver is seen on the beach. Members of the Civil Protection of Cutro, Firefighters and Italian Coastguard are still searching for bodies of dead migrants on the shores of Steccato di Cutro

He said: ‘The money paid to the people smuggler for the passage was from Pakistan. From what I have been told a contact in Peshawar put my brother in law in touch with the main person involved in Istanbul.

‘It is well known in Pakistan that Afghans are involved in people smuggling. I did not pay any of that money, but was asked to pay towards food for my nephew.

‘I do not feel bad about that as it was a small amount for his upkeep. I felt I had to pay. The people smuggler was greedy and had asked for £5,000 but I do not have that sort of money.

‘It was easy to transfer the money to the bank accounts of his daughters. I hope that by talking to the police they can track them down and it leads to the man who was responsible for the death of my nephew.

‘The family here in the UK, in Pakistan and Italy are hurting and we want those responsible to be arrested.’

Italian authorities have held a 48-year-old Turkish national and a 25-year-old Pakistani who steered the boat.

They had attempted to hide on the beach amid the wreckage of the 20m long boat but were pointed out by the survivors.

A third member of the crew under arrest is 17 years old.

All three face possible manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration charges after police had concluded their investigation.

But for the bereaved family of Azan Afridi the wait for the arrest and charging of the gangster who sold him a boat trip that would cost him his life could take much longer.

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