Nairobi court orders extradition of Afghan politician to U.S. over drug, firearms charges

Magistrate BenMark Ekhubi delivered the ruling on Tuesday, allowing an application by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

The court found sufficient grounds to proceed with the extradition following submissions from the U.S. government through the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

“In my view, the threshold has been met by the applicant. I find the application to be merited, and I hereby endorse the warrants of arrest. I consequently direct that the accused person be surrendered and extradited to the United States to face the subject charges,” Magistrate Ekhubi ruled.

Qadir was arrested in Nairobi on April 14, 2025, shortly after arriving in the country on a Qatar Airways flight. Acting on intelligence and a formal request from the DEA, Kenyan police apprehended him at a hotel in the capital. Authorities cited his lack of a permanent residence and high flight risk as justification for his immediate detention.

According to court documents, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York had issued an arrest warrant for Qadir on March 25, 2025. The charges include conspiracy to import narcotics into the United States and unlawful possession of a machine gun.

DEA special agent Nicholas DiFrancesco confirmed that a formal complaint had been filed and that Qadir is considered a significant figure in a transnational narcotics network.

During the proceedings, Kenyan prosecutors also revealed that the U.S. had raised concerns about Qadir potentially fleeing to a jurisdiction without an extradition agreement, which could obstruct ongoing investigations and the prosecution of co-conspirators still at large.

On April 15, 2025, the court had already granted the Attorney General's request to detain Qadir pending the hearing of the extradition matter, citing risks to both the extradition process and the broader investigation.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed Qadir’s continued detention following the court’s ruling.

Meanwhile, claims previously made by Qadir’s family suggesting he had been detained in Dubai were firmly contradicted by the Kenyan authorities.