Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – A United States court has sentenced Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf, an Afghan national and Taliban agent, to 30 years in prison for orchestrating a heroin trafficking operation aimed at funding terrorist activities.
Manaf was convicted in August 2024 after a two-week trial, during which a jury found him guilty of attempting to smuggle massive quantities of heroin into New York to financially support the Taliban and the Haqqani Network. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that Manaf’s operations fueled the Taliban’s insurgency and violent activities against Coalition Forces.
Court records reveal that Manaf’s scheme began in January 2018, involving large-scale heroin imports into the U.S. The proceeds were funneled back to his Taliban contacts. He maintained communications via meetings, phone calls, and electronic messages, unknowingly collaborating with undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents posing as buyers.
In August 2018, Manaf sold several kilograms of heroin to a DEA agent posing as a narcotics dealer in New York. He assured the agent that future shipments would be secured by armed Taliban fighters. Subsequent negotiations led to plans for multi-ton heroin shipments into the U.S.
Following his arrest, Manaf allegedly attempted to silence witnesses. Recorded conversations in 2019 revealed orders to his family in Afghanistan to kidnap a DEA source to prevent their testimony. The DOJ disclosed that Manaf directed his brothers to detain the source for interrogation by Taliban security operatives.
In addition to his 30-year prison term, Manaf faces five years of supervised release and forfeiture of all proceeds from his drug trafficking operations.
