US Charges Former Afghan Lawmaker in Major Drug and Weapons Case
DID Press: Former Afghan general and ex-first deputy speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, Abdul Zahir Qadir, has been extradited from Kenya to the United States and appeared in a federal court in New York over allegations of involvement in a large-scale conspiracy to traffic heroin, methamphetamine, and military weapons.
The US Attorney’s Office said Qadir, 52, was transferred from Nairobi and appeared before a federal court in Manhattan, where a judge ordered him to remain in custody until trial. The criminal complaint against him was also unsealed in the Southern District of New York.
According to US prosecutors, Qadir allegedly participated in an international scheme involving the sale of hundreds of kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine, as well as heavy military weapons. Authorities said some of the individuals he negotiated with were confidential sources working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Prosecutors allege that the case began in November 2024 and that Qadir delivered a two-kilogram test shipment of methamphetamine in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December 2024 in exchange for $14,000.
US officials further claim that later negotiations involved plans to supply between 500 and 600 kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine to the United States, along with hundreds of weapons, including heavy machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, RPG launchers, pistols, grenades, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Qadir was arrested by Kenyan police in Nairobi on April 15, 2025. He has denied the allegations, claiming through his lawyer that the case was politically motivated. Kenya’s Supreme Court approved his extradition to the United States on April 22, 2026.
Qadir previously served as a general in Afghanistan’s border forces and commanded the 8th Border Battalion in Takhar province. He entered the Afghan parliament in 2010 representing Nangarhar province and was elected first deputy speaker of the Wolesi Jirga in 2012.
US prosecutors stressed that the allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings and that Qadir is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If convicted, he could face severe prison sentences, including life imprisonment for certain drug-related charges and a minimum of 30 years for weapons-related charges.