UK-Extradited ‘Sultan’ Jailed in US Over Kenya-Linked Drug Trafficking Network

Mohammed Asif Hafeez, also known as "Sultan," has begun serving a 16-year prison sentence in a New York federal prison after his conviction for orchestrating a vast international drug trafficking operation. 

Hafeez's incarceration marks the end of a protracted legal battle that spanned multiple continents and exposed the intricate network of global narcotics trade.

Hafeez's legal journey began with his 2017 arrest in London. He resisted extradition to the United States for nearly two years. Following legal proceedings in European courts, British authorities extradited Hafeez to the United States in May 2023. After a strenuous initial resistance, Hafeez surprisingly abandoned his legal challenges on May 11, just before his transfer, opting to face the charges in the United States, according to his attorney, Syed Khurram.

Despite the reticence of his legal team after his transfer, court documents revealed Hafeez's central role in the Akasha Organisation, a Kenya-based criminal enterprise notorious for its extensive drug trafficking activities. Evidence presented in court showed that in 2014, Ibrahim Akasha Abdalla, a key figure in the Akasha Organisation, delivered a kilogram of heroin to undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in Nairobi on Hafeez's behalf. This initial transaction was followed by an additional transfer of 98 kilograms a month later. 

Recorded conversations captured associates boasting about Hafeez's involvement in distributing large quantities of drugs alongside the Akasha family. Prosecutors further alleged that Hafeez supervised the importation of hashish into North America and Europe from 1993 to 2017. He was also accused of planning a methamphetamine production facility in Mozambique, designed to supply both American and European markets. This ambitious operation demonstrated the global reach of the syndicate's activities.

Numerous other individuals were implicated in court filings. They included Baktash Akasha Abdalla, identified as the leader of the Akasha Organisation, and his brother, Ibrahim. Co-conspirators Gulam Hussein and Vijaygiri "Vicky" Anandgiri Goswami, an Indian national arrested in Mombasa in 2015, were also named. Goswami pleaded guilty in 2019 and provided testimony against the Akashas, reinforcing the case against them. Baktash and Ibrahim are currently serving sentences of 25 and 23 years, respectively.

Throughout his legal battles, Hafeez maintained his innocence, asserting that his business dealings, including his position as director of Sarwani International Corporation, were legitimate. He cited his commercial activities in Pakistan, Dubai, and the UK as evidence against the allegations. In a controversial claim, prosecutors alleged that Hafeez had acted as an informant, providing intelligence to authorities in the UK and the Middle East to disrupt rival drug shipments.