Baktash Akasha aged 40, his brother Ibrahim, 28, Gulam Hussein and Vijaygiri Goswami were arrested in Mombasa for conspiracy to import heroin and methamphetamine into the United States/COURTESY
An international drug baron associated with the Akasha family in Kenya has been arrested in London.
Muhammad Asif Hafeez aka 'Sultan', a Pakistani national and co-accused of the two Akasha brothers extradited to U.S in 2014 allegedly operated drug manufacturing factories in Kenya and Mozambique was apprehended in Britain following indictment by United States of America in the Southern District of New York.
Hafeez's arrest was coordinated by the Special Operations Division of the DEA, Bilateral Investigations Unit, United Kingdom's National Crime Agency, The London Metropolitan Police Service-Extradition Team, the DEA London, Dubai, Nairobi, Pretoria and New Delhi country offices and the U.S Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs and London Attache's.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of New York. Muhammad Asif Hafeez was provisionally arrested in London on charges of participation in drug trafficking of large quantities of heroin, methamphetamine and Methaphetamine precursor chemicals.
Hafeez is likely to be enjoined in the drug trafficking conspiracy case against Baktash Akasha, Ibrahim Akasha Abdalla, Gulam Hussein and Vijaygiri Anandgiri Goswami.
It is alleged that Hafeez, who has been a high priority target by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been working with transnational criminal organisations, to manufacture, and distribute huge amounts of heroin and methamphetamine all over the world including to the U.S.
Hafeez's drug trafficking network is said to have stretched from Kenya and Mozambique to Britain and the U.S.
The Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Joon H Kim and the Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Raymond Donovan, on Friday night announced Hafeez's arrest in London saying the United States plans to seek his extradition from Britain.
"As alleged, Muhammad Asif Hafeez, a long-time priority target of the DEA known as "Sultan" trafficked in drugs on a massive and global scale, working with transnational criminal organizations to manufacture and distribute enormous quantities of heroin and methamphetamine around the world and into the United States.
