U.S. Attorney Damian Williams | U.S. Department of Justice
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, along with Anne Milgram, Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), announced that Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. The Afghan national was convicted for attempting to import heroin into the United States, engaging in narco-terrorism benefiting both the Taliban and Haqqani Network, and witness tampering offenses. U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff imposed the sentence after a jury trial concluded in August 2024.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated, “Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf was in the business of peddling poison. He leveraged the help of terrorists—the Taliban—to advance his drug business and to expand his drug trafficking operation to the United States." Williams added that Manaf "did not hesitate to order the kidnapping of a critical witness at gunpoint in an effort to silence him."
Anne Milgram from DEA commented, “Haji Abdul Satar Abdul Manaf used heroin as a weapon of war, funding the Taliban and Haqqani Network to spread terror and death." She emphasized that today's sentencing demonstrates that "narco-terrorists who bankroll terror and threaten American lives will be brought to justice."
According to court documents and statements made during public court proceedings, Manaf was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in June 2012 under Executive Order No. 13224 for financially supporting Taliban activities against Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.
From January 2018 onward, Manaf attempted large-scale heroin imports into the U.S., paid benefits to support his operations through alliances with terrorist organizations like the Taliban and Haqqani Network. During meetings with individuals he believed were part of an international drug trafficking organization—who were actually DEA sources or agents—Manaf planned heroin shipments protected by armed Taliban members.
In August 2018, he sold ten kilograms of heroin intended for sale in New York City while continuing financial transactions believed to benefit Haqqani Network members through his money-remitting business.
While detained pending trial following arrest overseas and extradition, Manaf directed family members in Afghanistan via recorded prison calls between February and March 2019 to kidnap a DEA source involved as a witness against him—a plan they executed at gunpoint threatening harm.
Besides imprisonment terms set forth upon conviction now aged fifty-nine-year-old Afghan citizen is also subject five years supervised release subsequent completion serving time behind bars.
The investigative work conducted leading up prosecution hailed exceptional by Mr.Williams involving multiple global agencies including several DEA offices across Europe Asia Australia alongside partners such Estonian government Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission ultimately resulted successful outcome case spearheaded Office’s National Security International Narcotics Unit managed Assistant US Attorneys Sam Adelsberg Nicholas Bradley Kimberly Ravener aided Trial Attorney Joshua Champagne Counterterrorism Section expertise.
