The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that Abdul Zahir Qadir, the former First Deputy Speaker of Afghanistan’s House of Representatives, has been extradited from Kenya to the United States and is scheduled to appear before a federal court in Manhattan to face charges related to drug trafficking and weapons offenses.
According to the Department, Qadir also known as Haji Abdul Zahir was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2025. Following the completion of legal extradition proceedings, he was transferred to the United States.
According to documents released by the Department of Justice, Qadir has been charged with conspiring to traffic hundreds of kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine into the United States, as well as attempting to procure and transfer heavy military-grade weapons.
U.S. authorities also allege that investigators recovered a list of military equipment that Qadir had requested. According to the court documents, the list included various weapons, such as AK-47 assault rifles, RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, PKM, DShK, and Kord machine guns, Dragunov sniper rifles, ammunition, hand grenades, and pistols.
According to the charging documents, U.S. prosecutors allege that Qadir entered into negotiations with an individual whom he believed to be a member of an international drug trafficking network. The individual was, in fact, a confidential source working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The Department of Justice said that Qadir initially delivered a two-kilogram test shipment of methamphetamine in South Africa and subsequently discussed the shipment of larger quantities of narcotics, as well as the procurement of weapons, with the confidential source.
U.S. officials have described the case as one of the most significant criminal prosecutions involving a former Afghan government official. However, the allegations remain subject to judicial review, and no final determination of guilt has been made.
Meanwhile, some sources have claimed that the U.S. investigation may extend to additional individuals. However, U.S. authorities have not officially confirmed those claims.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
