By NNN-PTI
New York : An Afghan heroin kingpin, who is the first person ever to be extradited to the US from Afghanistan, was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for smuggling millions of dollars of heroin into America and providing financial support to Taliban.
The extradition of Baz Mohammad, 51, was authorised by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2005 after his American counterpart George W Bush designated Mohammad as a foreign narcotics kingpin under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation act.
On July 11 last year, Mohammad had pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court.
“Baz Mohammad is a narcotics kingpin whose drug organisation, operating under the cover of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, made millions of dollars from the sale of heroin in the United States,” said US Attorney Michael J Garcia.
“Today’s sentencing is a gratifying conclusion to an important prosecution that would not have been possible without unprecedented cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the United States and Afghanistan,” Garcia said.
According to the indictment, between 1990-2005, Mohammad led an international drug mafia smuggling narcotics in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The heroin-trafficking organisation, then, arranged for the drug to be transported from Afghanistan and Pakistan into the US, including the New York City, hidden inside suitcases, clothing, and containers.
Other members of the organisation facilitated the sale of heroin in the US, the indictment added.