RASC News Agency: The United States Department of Justice has announced the sentencing of Haji Abdul Sattar Abdulmanan, also known as Abdul Sattar Barakzai, to 30 years in federal prison for trafficking heroin intended for distribution in New York and financing the Taliban and the Haqqani Network. Abdul Sattar Abdulmanan, a 59-year-old Afghan national widely known as Haji Abdul Sattar Barakzai, was convicted of attempting to import heroin into the United States and engaging in narcoterrorism to support the Taliban. His conviction followed a two-week jury trial concluded in August, where he was found guilty of all charges.
According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, Abdulmanan was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in June 2012 for his role in storing and transferring funds to support Taliban operations. The Treasury’s statement noted that Barakzai had provided thousands of dollars to finance the Taliban’s militant activities in Afghanistan. Further investigations revealed that in January 2018, Abdulmanan attempted to smuggle substantial quantities of heroin into the United States. Following his arrest overseas and subsequent extradition, he orchestrated threats against a key witness while awaiting trial in New York. Prosecutors revealed that Abdulmanan instructed his family members in Afghanistan to abduct and silence the witness, who had exposed his narcotics and terrorism-related crimes.
The case underscores the deep connections between drug trafficking, terrorism, and extremist financing. It highlights how the Taliban continues to rely on a complex network of narcotics trade and international supporters to sustain its operations. Many of the Taliban’s backers, particularly in the West, are deeply entrenched in drug trafficking and aligned with extremist and terrorist activities. This sentencing marks a significant victory for U.S. law enforcement in dismantling the financial and logistical networks that empower transnational terrorist organizations like the Taliban.
