Former Afghan lawmaker arrested on drugs and weapons charges

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Abdul Zahir Qadeer, a former Afghan Border Force general and ex-deputy speaker of the national assembly, was arrested in Nairobi and extradited to the United States to face federal charges in the Southern District of New York. Court papers say he negotiated with a DEA confidential source starting in November 2024, sold a two-kilogram test shipment in South Africa for $14,000, and later negotiated sales of hundreds of kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine along with hundreds of assault rifles, heavy machine guns, RPGs, grenades and thousands of rounds. He was ordered detained and faces minimum sentences of 10 years for drugs and 30 years for weapons, up to life if convicted.

Ex-Afghan lawmaker charged with large-scale drug and arms trafficking