Bashir Noorzai
NationalityAfghan
Other names
  • "Pablo Escobar of the Middle East"
OccupationDrug smuggler
Known forHelped the US negotiate with the Taliban

Bashir Noorzai is a convicted former Afghan drug lord.[1] He was an early supporter of the Taliban movement[2] and later worked as an undercover agent on behalf of the U.S. government. Despite being among America's most wanted drug traffickers, he agreed to come to New York City for a debriefing after being promised by his handlers that he would not be arrested.[3] He was arrested ten days after his arrival.[3] In the aftermath of Afghanistan take over by the Taliban, the group demanded that the US release him in exchange with an American engineer, Mark Frerichs, who was kidnapped by the group in January 2020.[4]

Biography

He fought the Soviet forces that occupied Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989.

He was left in charge of Kandahar after Mullah Omar went into hiding. He provided explosives, weapons, and militia fighters to the Taliban regime.

Noorzai was in Quetta when the September 11 attacks occurred, and soon afterwards returned to Afghanistan. In November 2001, he met with men he described as American military officials at Spinboldak, near the Afghan-Pakistani border. Small teams of U.S. Special Forces and intelligence officers were in Afghanistan at the time, seeking the support of tribal leaders. According to his lawyer, Noorzai was taken to Kandahar, where he was detained and questioned for six days by the Americans about Taliban officials and operations. He agreed to work with them and was freed, and in late January 2002 he handed over 15 truckloads of weapons, including about 400 anti-aircraft missiles, that had been hidden by the Taliban in his tribe's territory.[5]

On 1 June 2004, he was sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.[6]

Arrest

In April 2005, U.S. authorities in New York City arrested Noorzai.[7][8][9] He was charged with trying to smuggle more than US$50 million worth of heroin into the United States. He is one of ten people and organizations on a U.S. list of most-wanted drug traffickers. RFE/RL looks at alleged ties between Afghanistan's former Taliban regime and the illegal narcotics trade in light of the Noorzai arrest.[10] Noorzai was represented at his 2008 trial by New York high-profile criminal defense lawyer Ivan Fisher. The case has raised substantial questions about U.S. foreign policy abroad. In 2008 Noorzai was convicted of smuggling $50 million worth of heroin into the United States. On April 30, 2009, he appeared before Judge Denny Chin, who sentenced Noorzai to life imprisonment.

The New York Times reported that the leadership vacuum in the drug trade, following Noorzai's capture, was filled by Juma Khan.[11] Khan was, in turn, captured in 2010.

The Afghanistan Times reported that Taliban officials said Noorzai had been released, in the United Arab Emirates, on July 16, 2019.[12] They reported that he would join Taliban peace negotiators, in Qatar. They incorrectly reported he had been released from the Guantanamo detention camp. However, Noorzai was not released from prison.[13]

According to a Taliban spokesman, he was released from prison in exchange for Mark Frerichs and arrived in Afghanistan on September 19, 2022.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Ginger Thompson (2015-12-06). "Trafficking in Terror: How closely entwined are the drug trade and global terrorism?". The New Yorker magazine. Retrieved 2019-07-16. The agency also identified a high-value Afghan target, Haji Bashir Noorzai, an opium trafficker with close ties to the Taliban's leader, Mullah Omar.
  2. ↑ Zaeef, Abdul Salam (2010). My Life with the Taliban. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-231-70148-8.
  3. 1 2 Joel Cohen; Bennett L. Gershman (2007-12-12). "The Stinger Missile Sting: Why the government should keep its promises to bad guys like Haji Noorzai". Slate magazine.
  4. ↑ O'Donnell, Lynne. "Taliban Pressing for Prisoner Swap With U.S." Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  5. ↑ James Risen (2007-02-02). "An Afghan's Path From U.S. Ally to Drug Suspect". The New York Times. Washington, D.C. p. A1. Retrieved 2019-07-16. Mr. Noorzai flew to New York in April 2005 and was taken to an Embassy Suites hotel, where he was questioned for 13 days before being arrested, his lawyer said.
  6. ↑ "Letter to Congressional Leaders on Sanctions Under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act" (PDF). Government Publishing Office. 1 June 2004. pp. 964–965.
  7. ↑ Alan Fueur (2008-06-09). "Who is Bashir Noorzai?". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2019-07-16. Alternately known as the "Pablo Escobar of the Middle East" and a U.S. allied freedom fighter, federal agents arrested Noorzai on heroin trafficking charges in 2005.
  8. ↑ Benjamin Weiser (2008-09-08). "An Afghan's Path From U.S. Ally to Drug Suspect". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved 2019-07-16. The defense has argued in court papers that the government relied on private contractors who bribed foreign officials to gain access to Mr. Noorzai, and then promised Mr. Noorzai that he would not be arrested if he agreed to meet with American officials and provide information about terrorism financing.
  9. ↑ Bill Powell (2007-02-08). "Warlord or Druglord?". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2019-07-16. For a week and a half in April 2005, one of the favorite warlords of fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was sitting in a room at the Embassy Suites Hotel in lower Manhattan, not far from where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood.
  10. ↑ Ron Synovitz (2005-04-26). "U.S., UN Say Alleged Afghan Drug Lord Supported Taliban Regime". azaradio. Prague. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2019-07-16. U.S. President George W. Bush in June identified Noorzai as one of the world's most-wanted drug traffickers under the so-called Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. That law is designed to identify drug traffickers who pose threats to U.S. security, foreign policy, or the economy.
  11. ↑ James Risen (2010-12-12). "Propping Up a Drug Lord, Then Arresting Him". The New York Times. Washington, D.C. p. A1. Retrieved 2019-07-16. In a 2006 confidential report to the drug agency reviewed by The New York Times, an Afghan informer stated that Mr. Juma Khan was working with Ahmed Wali Karzai, the political boss of southern Afghanistan, to take control of the drug trafficking operations left behind by Mr. Noorzai. Some current and former American counternarcotics officials say they believe that Mr. Karzai provided security and protection for Mr. Juma Khan's operations.
  12. ↑ "Senior Taliban official freed from Guantanamo Bay". Afghanistan Times. Retrieved 2019-07-16. Hajji Bashir Noorzai, a senior official of Taliban was freed from US custody in the Guantanamo Bay, a source close to Taliban said Tuesday.
  13. ↑ Siddique, Abubakar; Zahirmal, Omid (30 June 2020). "Taliban Demand Release of Convicted Afghan Drug Lord". Rfe/Rl.
  14. ↑ "Senior Taliban figure arrives in Kabul after decades in U.S. detention - spokesperson". Reuters. 2022-09-19. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
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