WASHINGTON—An Afghan man accused of attempting to smuggle large shipments of heroin into the United States to benefit the Taliban and Haqqani Network has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf, 59, also known as Haji Abdul Sattar Barakzai, was convicted in August after a two-week jury trial. He faced charges of heroin importation, narco-terrorism benefiting the Taliban, narco-terrorism benefiting the Haqqani Network, and witness tampering.
According to court documents and trial evidence, Manaf conspired to distribute heroin in New York City while using the proceeds to support violent extremist groups. Since at least January 2018, Manaf attempted to import large quantities of heroin into the United States and paid the Taliban and Haqqani Network to support his drug trafficking operations.
The U.S. Treasury Department had sanctioned Manaf in 2012 under Executive Order 13224, which targets those supporting terrorism. At the time, officials stated that Manaf had donated funds to the Taliban to support their fight against Coalition Forces in Afghanistan and helped manage their finances.
In August 2018, Manaf sold a 10-kilogram shipment of heroin in Afghanistan to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, believing the heroin would be transported to the United States. Manaf claimed he had paid the Taliban to facilitate the heroin’s production and said the group would guard future shipments.
Manaf also attempted to transfer thousands of dollars of narcotics proceeds through his money-remitting business to individuals he believed were Haqqani Network operatives.
The case also revealed Manaf’s efforts to silence witnesses. While awaiting trial in New York, he directed his family members in Afghanistan to kidnap and threaten a DEA source who had testified against him.
The Haqqani Network, a faction of the Taliban, has been linked to numerous high-profile terrorist attacks targeting U.S. and Coalition forces in Afghanistan.
In addition to his 30-year prison sentence, Manaf was ordered to forfeit the proceeds of his crimes and will serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
