Afghan national Abdul Zahir Qadeer, also known as Haji Abdul Zahir, has been extradited to the United States to face charges in the United States relating to an alleged narcotics importation conspiracy and related firearms offences.
In a statement on Saturday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the extradition was carried out by its Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) after Kenyan courts approved the request.
“The extradition, effected on July 9, 2026, followed the conclusion of extradition proceedings before Kenyan courts and marked the culmination of close cooperation between the DCI, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Judiciary, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and INTERPOL,” DCI stated.
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.
An INTERPOL Red Notice was subsequently issued to facilitate his arrest and surrender to the United States.
The suspect was arrested on April 15, 2025, in Nairobi 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 Qadeer’s arrest in Nairobi on April 15, 2025, shortly after his arrival from Kabul, Afghanistan,” DCI said.
Following his arrest, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions instituted extradition proceedings before the Milimani Law Courts.
The court granted custodial orders pending determination of the application and, upon conclusion of the proceedings, authorised his extradition to the United States in accordance with Kenyan law.
ANU detectives on Thursday, July 9, collected Qadeer from Industrial Area Prison and escorted him to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
He was formally handed over to officials from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration before departing to the United States.
