TIK AND THE TALIBAN: How a Joburg drug deal snared an alleged Afghan narco-kingpin
South Africa features prominently in a sprawling case against a former Afghan politician, Abdul Zahir Qadeer, who allegedly had the power to get the Taliban’s cooperation, and whom the United States has accused of conspiring to traffic large quantities of drugs and military-grade weapons.
A former Afghan politician, Abdul Zahir Qadeer, is accused of conspiring to traffic drugs and weapons in the United States. South African authorities recently became involved in a case against Qadeer, who has been alleged to have had links to the Taliban and government officials in Afghanistan engaged in drug trafficking.
On December 10, 2024, a vehicle was broken into in a Johannesburg parking lot, revealing a 2kg stash of methamphetamine, commonly known as "tik" in South Africa. The buyer, who paid $14,000 for the consignment, was reportedly working on behalf of the United States, which has accused Qadeer of conspiring to traffic large quantities of drugs and weapons.
Qadeer, formerly a general in Afghanistan's Border Force and a former member of the National Assembly, was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2025. He denies the charges, claiming the case is politically motivated. However, the U.S. authorities have accused Qadeer of being a "large-scale international narcotics and weapons trafficker."
The case has shed light on the alleged involvement of drug trafficking networks in South Africa, particularly in Johannesburg, and their connections to Afghanistan and the wider international criminal underworld. The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry is currently investigating whether a criminal cartel, known as the Big Five, has infiltrated the state, politics, and private sector.
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