Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Mark Hamlet, the Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA"), announced today the extradition of PIRZADA KHAWAJA ABDUL HAMEED CHISHTI, a/k/a “Abdul Hameed Chishti Pirzada Khawaja," a/k/a “Benny," and PIRZADA KHAWAJA ABDUL WAHAB CHISHTI, a/k/a “Abdul Wahab Chishti Pirzada Khawaja," a/k/a “Angel." Both are citizens of Pakistan residing in Spain and are charged with conspiring to commit narco-terrorism, to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, to import heroin into the United States, and to unlawfully sell missile launching systems. HAMEED CHISHTI and WAHAB CHISHTI were arrested, along with co-defendants Sohail Kaskar and Ali Danish, in Spain on June 17, 2014, at the request of the United States. HAMEED CHISHTI and WAHAB CHISHTI arrived in the Southern District of New York today, and will be presented before United States Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein. The case is assigned to United States District Judge J. Paul Oetken.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As alleged, Hameed Chishti and Wahab Chishti had no qualms selling multi-kilogram quantities of U.S.-bound heroin to individuals they believed to be members of a terrorist organization, the FARC. According to the complaint and indictment, they also planned to arm these purported terrorists with military-grade weapons, believing they would be used to protect the FARC’s drug-trafficking enterprise. Thanks to the dedicated work of the DEA, this entire conspiracy was foiled and these defendants will face justice on American soil."
DEA Special Agent in Charge Mark Hamlet said: “Hameed and Wahab Chishti illustrate once again that drug trafficking and terror conspiracies often intersect, support, and facilitate each other’s dangerous and potential deadly plots. DEA and our global partners often uncover criminal activities where drug trafficking networks and terror organizations are one and the same. DEA will continue to work to strengthen our national security and rule of law by attacking these deadly transnational criminal groups who deal in weapons, drugs, and other crimes with the ultimate goal of bringing them to justice here in the United States."
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and the underlying Complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court[1]:
From 2013 through the date of their arrests, HAMEED CHISHTI and WAHAB CHISHTI, and their co-defendants, Kaskar and Danish, participated in a conspiracy to import heroin into the United States, to distribute heroin that would be imported into the United States, and to support the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (“FARC"), or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. During meetings at locations in Spain and elsewhere, the defendants agreed to sell multi-kilogram quantities of heroin to individuals they believed to be representatives of the FARC. In fact, the purported FARC representatives were confidential sources working with the DEA. The defendants believed that the purported FARC representatives planned to transport the heroin to the United States. In April 2014, HAMEED CHISHTI and WAHAB CHISHTI arranged for the delivery of a one-kilogram sample of heroin to the purported FARC representatives in the Netherlands, for transport on to the United States.
During the course of the narcotics negotiations, the purported FARC representatives indicated that the FARC was interested in buying “Iglas" - the name of Russian-made surface-to-air missiles - to protect its drug-trafficking business in Colombia. From April 2014 through June 2014, HAMEED CHISHTI, WAHAB CHISHTI, and their co-conspirators participated in discussions where they agreed to sell several missiles to the purported FARC representatives for the purpose of protecting and furthering the FARC’s efforts to manufacture and distribute cocaine for importation, ultimately, into the United States. In April 2014, Danish told the purported FARC representatives that three to five missiles could be delivered directly to wherever they were needed, and that a larger quantity of missiles could be delivered to the FARC in Colombia by diverting the missiles from a “legitimate" order. In May 2014, HAMEED CHISHTI forwarded Danish’s bank account information to one of the purported FARC representatives to facilitate payment for the surface-to-air missiles.
* * *
The indictment charges HAMEED CHISHTI, 47, and WAHAB CHISHTI, 49, with conspiring to commit narco-terrorism, to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, to import heroin into the United States, and to unlawfully sell missile launching systems. The United States is seeking extradition of the remaining defendants in the indictment, Kaskar and Danish, from Spain.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum term of 25 years in prison.The maximum and mandatory minimum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentences will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding efforts of the Special Operations Division of the DEA. Mr. Bharara also thanked the DEA’s New York Field Division and the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force; the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, National Targeting Center; the DEA’s Madrid Country Office, the Hague Country Office, the Bogota Country Office, and the Port of Spain Country Office; the Government of the Kingdom of Spain and the Guardia Civil, Central Operations Unit; the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the National Police of the Netherlands; the Government of the Republic of Colombia and the Colombian National Police; and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and National Security Division.
This case is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit.Assistant United States Attorneys Michael D. Lockard, Adam Fee, and Emil J. Bove III are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the indictment and complaint are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and Complaint and the description of the Indictment and Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
