The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through its Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU), on Thursday, July 9, 2026, handed over Abdul Zahir Qadeer, also known as Haji Abdul Zahir, to officials from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for transfer to the United States.
The extradition followed months of legal proceedings initiated after the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a warrant for Qadeer’s arrest on March 25, 2025. He is wanted to face charges of conspiracy to import narcotics into the United States, as well as possession of machine guns and destructive devices.
An INTERPOL Red Notice was subsequently issued, prompting Kenyan authorities to launch a coordinated operation that led to Qadeer’s arrest in Nairobi on April 15, 2025, shortly after he arrived from Kabul, Afghanistan.
Following his arrest, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) filed extradition proceedings before the Milimani Law Courts. The court ordered that Qadeer remain in custody while the application was heard before ultimately authorising his surrender to U.S. authorities in accordance with Kenyan law.
On the day of the extradition, detectives from the DCI’s Anti-Narcotics Unit collected Qadeer from Industrial Area Prison and escorted him to JKIA, where he was formally handed over to DEA officials before departing for the United States.
The DCI said the extradition was the result of close collaboration between the Anti-Narcotics Unit, the ODPP, the Judiciary, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and INTERPOL.
