Abdul Zahir Qadir, a former deputy speaker of Afghanistan’s parliament and once a prominent political figure, has been arrested in Nairobi on charges linked to international drug trafficking and weapons violations. He is now facing extradition to the United States.
Qadir was taken into custody by Kenyan police on April 14 shortly after arriving in Nairobi aboard a Qatar Airways flight. The arrest was carried out at a hotel in the capital, following a formal request from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which has been investigating Qadir for alleged involvement in narcotics smuggling and the illegal possession of military-grade firearms.
Kenyan authorities confirmed that they acted on an international arrest warrant issued by a U.S. court in the Southern District of New York on March 25. The warrant accuses Qadir of conspiracy to traffic narcotics and unlawful possession of a machine gun — both serious federal offenses under U.S. law.
During a court session on April 15, a Nairobi judge approved the Attorney General’s request to keep Qadir in custody as extradition proceedings move forward. Prosecutors argued that Qadir posed a significant flight risk, noting he had no permanent residence in Kenya and could potentially flee to a country without an extradition agreement with the United States.
“This is a high-profile arrest,” said Nicholas DiFrancesco, a DEA special agent, who confirmed the agency’s involvement in the operation. “We have evidence supporting his role in an international narcotics network, and we are committed to ensuring he faces justice.”
Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) echoed the DEA’s concerns, stating that Qadir’s detention is vital not only to the success of the extradition but also to ongoing investigations into suspected co-conspirators who may still be at large.
The arrest has sparked confusion and controversy, particularly as Qadir’s family previously claimed he was being held in Dubai — a claim now refuted by Kenyan authorities, who insist he was apprehended on Kenyan soil with full transparency and legal procedure.
If extradited and convicted in the U.S., Qadir could face decades in prison.
This case marks a dramatic fall from grace for a man once seen as a power broker within Afghanistan’s political landscape, now entangled in one of the DEA’s most high-profile international investigations.
