NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� A former Afghan general who also served in his nation鈥檚 National Assembly was extradited to the U.S. on Friday to face drug charges, authorities said.
Abdul Zahir Qadeer, 52, of Afghanistan, appeared in Manhattan federal court and was ordered detained until trial, federal prosecutors said in a release.
Qadeer was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 15 before his extradition to face charges that he conspired to import heroin and methamphetamine, along with related firearms offenses.
Authorities said he previously served as a general in Afghanistan鈥檚 Border Force and as first deputy speaker of Afghanistan鈥檚 House of the People.
It was unclear who is representing him on the U.S. charges, which if he is convicted carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life behind bars.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton described Qadeer as a large-scale international narcotics and military-grade weapons trafficker.
鈥淚n an attempt to traffic massive amounts of poison and weaponry 鈥� including heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers 鈥� Qadeer allegedly sold a two-kilogram test shipment to a buyer, which was delivered in South Africa,鈥� Clayton said in a release.
The prosecutor said the buyer was actually working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a release that Qadeer was 鈥減urporting to be a political leader in Afghanistan鈥� while leading a criminal enterprise dealing in dangerous and addictive narcotics.
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