Afghan gangster who trafficked children into the UK to be raped and blackmailed will be extradited to Belgium to serve 10 year jail sentence

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY

Published: 14:04 BST, 12 May 2025 | Updated: 14:13 BST, 12 May 2025

A member of an Afghan gang which trafficked children into the UK before they were raped and blackmailed will be extradited to Belgium to serve a 10 year jail sentence, a judge said.

Saifur Ahmedzai, 23, was arrested by specialist National Crime Agency extradition officers in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, on 30 December.

Ahmedzai along with Ziarmal Khan, 24, and Zeeshan Bangash, 20, were convicted in November in the Belgian city of Antwerp alongside 21 other gang members for a total of 170 years in prison, with sentences ranging from two to 18 years.

Ahmedzai was jailed in his absence in Antwerp last November while Khan and Bangash were each locked up for three years.

Wearing a prison issue grey tracksuit, Ahmedzai appeared in the dock assisted by an Afghan interpreter speaking only to confirm his name and date of birth.

District judge John Zani ordered he be ‘surrendered to Belgium to serve the sentence of imprisonment imposed.’

Ahmedzai was emotionless as he heard the decision.

Saifur Ahmedzai, 23, was arrested on December 23 2024 at an address in Hemel Hempstead

His gang was involved in organising the transport of thousands of migrants from Afghanistan through Iran, Turkey and the Balkans into Europe including France and Belgium.

Many would be put on small boats from northern France to the UK, with the gang suspected of transporting thousands of people this way.

Members of the group also filmed themselves raping young migrants so they could use the footage to blackmail the victims.

NCA investigators have supported the Belgian investigation for around two years.

They supplied intelligence and evidence to the Belgian Federal Police around suspected members of the network.

Last November a court in Antwerp convicted and sentenced the trio along with 20 other gang members to a total of 170 years imprisonment, with sentences ranging from two to 18 years.

Eleven members were tried in their absence, including the three men arrested in the UK.

The men were convicted in November in the Belgian city of Antwerp alongside 21 other gang members for a total of 170 years in prison, with sentences ranging from two to 18 years. Pictured: Zeeshan Bangash being arrested

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, earlier said: ‘This case is nothing short of sickening. These men ran extensive illegal smuggling operations and inflicted extreme cruelty on the migrants they smuggled – some of them children – when they were at their most vulnerable.

‘I am grateful to the NCA, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement officers, for their hard work and dedication in pursuing these vile criminal gangs, safeguarding victims of exploitation and protecting our borders.

‘As part of the Government’s Plan for Change to strengthen our borders, we are working ever more closely with international partners to track down dangerous criminal networks like these, disrupt their activities and ensure they face the full force of the law, to protect people and save lives.

‘In recent weeks we’ve agreed landmark new deals with Iraq and Germany, pledging mutual support and co-operation to tackle this shared challenge. At the Calais Group meeting with European partners too, we agreed to enhance our joint efforts to end this dangerous trade.

‘Through this closer international collaboration, joint work between law enforcement agencies, new legislation, and the £150 million cash investment in the Border Security Command, we are making clear we will stop at nothing to protect our borders from people-smuggling gangs.’

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Afghan gangster who trafficked children into the UK to be raped and blackmailed will be extradited to Belgium to serve 10 year jail sentence

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