US convicts Afghan drug trafficker under narco-terrorism program News
US convicts Afghan drug trafficker under narco-terrorism program

[JURIST] A jury in the US District Court for the District of Columbia [official website] Thursday convicted [DOJ press release] an Afghan national originally held as an enemy combatant on charges of drug distribution and narco-terrorism. Khan Mohammed was charged [grand jury indictment, PDF] in 2006 with distribution of heroin destined for the US, thereby aiding and abetting terrorism. AP has more.

This was one of the first prosecutions of the US anti-narco-terrorism effort [DEA program site], aimed at crippling terrorist organizations by stopping the sale of the drugs said to finance them [DOS testimony]. Last month, Afghan tribal chief Haji Bashir Noorzai [IHT profile] was indicted [PDF text; JURIST report] for violation of US drug laws after DEA officials lured him into the country [JURIST report]; he is scheduled to face trial on May 18 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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