Former Afghan general extradited to U.S. on drug charges

Abdul Zahir Qadeer, the former Afghan general and parliamentary leader, was brought before a Manhattan federal judge after his extradition from Kenya on July 10. He is accused of helping run a narcotics and weapons network spanning Africa, South Asia and the United States. U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo ordered Qadeer detained pending trial.

Qadeer, also known as Haji Abdul Zahir, was arrested in Nairobi on April 15, 2025, and now faces charges of conspiring to import heroin and methamphetamine, along with related firearms offenses. The charges allege that the trafficking involved hundreds of kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine and weapons that included heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. If convicted, Qadeer faces a potential life sentence.

Qadeer is accused of using his political standing to mask criminal activity. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Qadeer was "purporting to be a political leader in Afghanistan" while leading a criminal enterprise dealing in dangerous and addictive narcotics. Jay Clayton said he held a "dual role" as a large-scale international narcotics and military-grade weapons trafficker, while DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole said he had exploited a position once entrusted to protect Afghanistan’s borders.

The alleged scheme was already underway by late 2024. On or about Dec. 10, 2024, Qadeer sold a two-kilogram methamphetamine test shipment that was delivered to an associate in Johannesburg, South Africa, in exchange for about $14,000. The buyer was working with the Drug Enforcement Administration. In February 2025, an informant allegedly told Qadeer the plan was to buy 500 to 600 kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine for sale in the United States, along with the weapons.

Qadeer was a general in Afghanistan’s Border Force and later served as First Deputy Speaker of Afghanistan’s National Assembly’s House of the People, a post he was elected to in or about 2012 after representing Nangarhar. Afghanistan’s National Assembly functioned until the Taliban regained control in about August 2021.