Former Afghan lawmaker charged in US with drug trafficking, weapons conspiracy

A former member of Afghanistan's National Assembly has been charged in the US with conspiring to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into the country and with multiple firearms offenses, according to CBS News.

Abdul Zahir Qadeer, a former general in Afghanistan's Border Force and former deputy speaker of the National Assembly, was indicted in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on one count of conspiracy to import narcotics and two counts of conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Qadeer made his initial court appearance in New York on Friday, where a judge ordered him held pending trial, according to a US official cited by CBS News.

Kenyan authorities confirmed Saturday that Qadeer, who also served as first deputy speaker of Afghanistan's House of the People, had been extradited to the United States.

According to a Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit, Qadeer had been in contact with a confidential DEA source since November 2024.

Prosecutors allege that in December 2024 he arranged the sale of a two-kilogram test shipment of methamphetamine to an associate of the informant in South Africa.

After receiving $14,000 for the shipment, Qadeer allegedly continued negotiations into 2025 to supply hundreds of kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine.

Authorities also accuse him of offering to provide a cache of weapons, including assault rifles, heavy machine guns, pistols, rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

According to the affidavit, the confidential source told Qadeer in February 2025 that the drugs and weapons were intended for distribution in the United States.

Prosecutors allege Qadeer responded by providing price quotes and saying he could deliver the requested weapons and ammunition within three days of receiving a delivery location.

In April 2025, Qadeer traveled to Nairobi believing he was meeting representatives of a drug trafficking organization introduced by the informant. Instead, he met undercover DEA sources, after which Kenyan authorities arrested him. He was extradited to the United States on Friday.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the investigation alleged that Qadeer, despite presenting himself as a political leader in Afghanistan, directed a criminal operation involving large quantities of narcotics and military-grade weapons. Blanche credited the DEA with leading the investigation.

If convicted, Qadeer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison on the drug conspiracy charge and at least 30 years on the firearms charges. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.