Saturday,
July 11, 2026 - An Afghan national wanted by authorities in
the United States over narcotics trafficking and firearms offences has been
extradited from Kenya following a court-approved legal process.
In a statement released on Saturday, July 11, 2026, the
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced that its Anti-Narcotics
Unit (ANU) successfully extradited Abdul Zahir Qadeer, also known as Haji Abdul
Zahir, to the United States on July 9, 2026.
The DCI said the extradition followed the completion of
proceedings before Kenyan courts and was made possible through collaboration
between the DCI, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the
Judiciary, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and
INTERPOL.
According to the DCI, the United States District Court for
the Southern District of New York issued a warrant for Qadeer's arrest on March
25, 2025, over allegations of participating in a narcotics importation
conspiracy and possessing machine guns and destructive devices.
An INTERPOL Red Notice was later issued to facilitate his
arrest and extradition.
Detectives arrested Qadeer in Nairobi on April 15, 2025,
shortly after he arrived from Kabul, Afghanistan, acting on the U.S. arrest
warrant and the INTERPOL Red Notice.
The ODPP subsequently initiated extradition proceedings
before the Milimani Law Courts.
After hearing the application, the court authorised his
extradition in accordance with Kenyan law.
On Thursday, July 9, 2026, detectives from the Anti-Narcotics
Unit collected Qadeer from Industrial Area Prison and escorted him to Jomo
Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where he was formally handed over to
officials from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration before departing for
the United States.
The DCI said the extradition highlights the continued cooperation between Kenyan and U.S. law enforcement agencies in combating transnational organised crime while reaffirming Kenya's commitment to due process, the rule of law, and its international legal obligations.
The Kenyan DAILY POST.
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