Former Afghan National Assembly Member Arrested for Drug and Weapon Trafficking in the U.S.
A former member of Afghanistan's National Assembly, Abdul Zahir Qadeer, has been arrested and charged with conspiring to illegally import heroin and methamphetamine into the United States, as well as firearm-related charges. Qadeer, a former general in Afghanistan's paramilitary Border Force and a former deputy speaker in the National Assembly, faces federal charges in the Southern District of New York. He appeared in a New York courtroom and was ordered to be detained pending trial.
According to court documents, Qadeer had been negotiating with a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) since November 2024. He allegedly sold a two-kilogram "test shipment" of methamphetamines to an associate of the DEA informant in South Africa. Qadeer continued to negotiate to sell "hundreds of kilograms" of heroin and methamphetamine, as well as a variety of weapons, including assault rifles, heavy machine guns, pistols, rocket-propelled grenades, and grenades.
In February 2025, Qadeer discussed selling 500 to 600 kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine, along with weapons, to be sold in the United States. He provided quotes for the requested weapons and ammunition and agreed to deliver them within three days of receiving a delivery location. Qadeer was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, during a meeting with what he thought was a drug trafficking organization but turned out to be multiple DEA confidential sources. He was extradited to the United States.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that Qadeer, while posing as a political leader of Afghanistan, was allegedly involved in criminal activities related to narcotics and heavy weapons. If convicted, Qadeer faces a minimum of 10 years in prison for the drug-related charge and a minimum of 30 years in prison for the weapon-related charges, with a maximum of life in prison for both charges. The case against Qadeer in the Southern District of New York follows the indictment of an Iraqi national for plotting terror attacks in the U.S.