OSINFO - Open Sources Information

Khan Mohammed, a member of an Afghan Taliban cell, was convicted on May 20 by a jury in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on charges of narcotics distribution and narco-terrorism. The conviction represents the first time a defendant has been convicted in U.S. federal court of narco-terrorism since the statute was enacted in March 2006.

A DEA investigation uncovered that Mohammed was part of a Taliban plan to obtain rockets to attack U.S. military and Afghan civilian personnel at Jalalabad Airfield in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. A cooperating witness working with the DEA met with Mohammed on several occasions to plan the rocket attack. During the investigation, Mohammed also sold opium and heroin that he knew was intended for importation into the United States.

 “As an enemy of the United States, Khan Mohammed intended to ship heroin to the United States and use profits from that trade to assist the Taliban,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “A dangerous double threat, Kahn Mohammed purchased rockets to attack American and coalition soldiers who were risking their lives to stabilize Afghanistan. The conviction of Kahn Mohammed puts an end to this source of poison and violence.”

• Click here to read the DEA Press Release