South Africa features prominently in a sprawling case against a former Afghan politician, Abdul Zahir Qadeer, who allegedly had the power to get the Taliban's cooperation, and whom the United States has accused of conspiring to traffic large quantities of drugs and military-grade weapons.

On 10 December 2024, someone opened the back door of a vehicle in a parking lot near a Johannesburg restaurant. Inside the vehicle was a black bag concealing two plastic containers, each marked with a green stamp depicting a camel, and divided between the containers was a 2kg stash of methamphetamine (known as "tik" in South Africa).

A person who had paid $14,000 (around R226,000) to someone in Afghanistan for this consignment picked it up.

What the seller probably did not know was that this seemingly basic drug deal was anything but straightforward.

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Ex-Afghan politician, weapons and drugs

United States authorities have alleged that the buyer was secretly working on its behalf, and that the drug consignment was from a former Afghan politician, Abdul Zahir Qadeer, also known as Haji Abdul Zahir.

He was once a general in Afghanistan's Border Force and is a former member of Afghanistan's National Assembly, the legislature there until the Taliban regained control in 2021.

DCl EXTRADlTES AFGHAN NATlONAL TO U.S. TO FACE NARCOTlCS TRAFFlCKlNG CHARGESThe Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), through its Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU), has successfully extradited Afghan national Abdul... pic.twitter.com/O2bOyfUIOi-- DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) July 11, 2026

Qadeer was arrested in...