New York, December 15, 2024: Lahore-based gold trader and Pakistani national Muhammad Asif Hafeez, infamously known as the “Sultan of Drugs,” has pleaded guilty in a US federal court to charges of drug trafficking. Hafeez, described as a key figure in an international narcotics network, admitted to conspiring to import heroin, methamphetamine, and hashish into the United States.
US Attorney Damian Williams stated that Hafeez had played a leading role in a sophisticated drug operation for over two decades, distributing massive quantities of narcotics worldwide. Originally from Lahore and operating out of Dubai and London, Hafeez was arrested in London in 2017 and extradited to the US in 2023 after a six-year legal battle. Despite initially denying the allegations, he ultimately admitted his role in the global drug trade.
The charges against Hafeez stem from his collaboration with Kenya’s Akasha Organisation and other accomplices, including Bollywood-linked Vicky Goswami. His operations allegedly included transporting multi-ton shipments of narcotics and attempting to establish a methamphetamine production facility in Mozambique.
Hafeez now faces sentencing, with penalties ranging from a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment. US authorities have highlighted this guilty plea as a significant step toward dismantling one of the world’s most prolific drug trafficking networks.
