Abdul Zahir Qadeer, a former politician and military general, has been extradited from Kenya to the United States (US) to face charges of large scale narcotics trafficking and supplying military-grade weapons.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) conducted the extradition on Thursday, July 9, 2026, following the conclusion of the extradition proceedings before Kenyan courts.
The extradition cooperation carried between Kenya and U.S. law enforcement agencies included the DCI, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), the Judiciary and INTERPOL.
According to the DCI, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a warrant for his arrest on March 25, 2025, in connection with the alleged offences.
Detectives arrested the suspect in Nairobi on April 15, 2025, shortly after he arrived in Kenya from Kabul, Afghanistan.
“Acting on the Red Notice and the U.S. arrest warrant, detectives mounted a coordinated operation that led to his arrest in Nairobi shortly after he arrived from Kabul,” the statement said.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Qadeer allegedly sold a two kilogram test shipment of methamphetamine in Johannesburg in December 2024, a deal that marked the beginning of his drug trafficking. Later, negotiations expanding to 500-600 kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine destined for the American market.
In supplying of weapons, he sold sniper rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, pistols and boxes of grenades, exploiting his political status to build criminal networks.
For the U.S., Qadeer’s extradition is a victory in the fight against international narcotics and weapons trafficking, underscoring the DEA’s reliance on undercover operations abroad, where informants and sting operations remain a critical tool.