INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
An Afghan man accused of attempting to smuggle large shipments of heroin into the United States to benefit the Islamic Emirate and Haqqani
Network has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, the U.S
Justice Department said on Friday.Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf, 59, also known as Haji Abdul Sattar Barakzai, was convicted in August after
a two-week jury trial, the U.S
Justice Department said in a statement.In June 2012
the Treasury Department sanctioned Manaf for storing or moving money for the Islamic Emirate.Beginning in at least January 2018, Manaf
attempted to import large quantities of heroin into the United States and paid the IEA and Haqqani Network to support his drug
trafficking.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 Islamic Emirate to facilitate the heroin&sproduction and said they 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 US Justice Department also said that Manaf sought to silence a witness
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.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.The post U.S
sentences Afghan man to 30 years in prison for narco-terrorism and witness tampering first appeared on Ariana News.
