Haji Bagcho Sherzai, also known as ''Haji Bagh Chagul'' or ''Haji Bagcho'' (born 1954), is a convicted

drug trafficker The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. He is accused by the United States for having ties with the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

. He was convicted on March 13, 2012, by a jury in

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a federal district court in the District of Columbia. It also occasionally handles (jointly with the United States District Court for the District of ...

of conspiracy, distribution of

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

for importation into the United States and

narco-terrorism Narcoterrorism, in its original context, is understood to refer to the attempts of narcotics traffickers to influence the policies of a government or a society through violence and intimidation, and to hinder the enforcement of anti-drug laws by t ...

. It was alleged that Bagcho exported heroin to more than twenty different countries, including the United States. He faced a

mandatory minimum sentence Mandatory sentencing requires that offenders serve a predefined term for certain crimes, commonly serious and violent offenses. Judges are bound by law; these sentences are produced through the legislature, not the judicial system. They are inst ...

of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison. On June 12, 2012, a sentencing hearing was scheduled before

Ellen Segal Huvelle Ellen Judith Huvelle ( ''née'' Segal; born June 3, 1948) is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She has overseen several significant cases. In a case decided in May 20 ...

in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He is believed to have lived in the Marco village in Nangahar Province. He also owned a compound in

Hayatabad Hayatabad is a suburb on the western outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It borders the now defunct Tribal Areas and is close to Torkham, which is the major border crossing point between Pakistan and ...

, outside of

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. He is married and has several children. His eldest son is believed to be named Sucha Gul. In June 2009, Baghcho was arrested in Afghanistan and extradited to USA. Khadi Gul, his younger brother, denied that Bagcho had ever provided money to the Taliban. Bagcho, who has been involved in the drug trafficking business since at least the 1990s, was ordered to forfeit $254,203,032 (more than £160,000,000). With the help of cooperating witnesses, including

Afghan National Security Forces The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), also known as the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), were the military and internal security forces of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Structure The Afghan National Security Forc ...

(ANSF), and ledgers which were found during searches of his house, the

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within th ...

(DEA) prepared a major criminal case. One ledger, cataloguing Bagcho's activities during 2006, reflected heroin transactions of more than 123,000 kilograms, worth more than $250 million, according to Bagcho's ledger. Bagcho used a portion of his drug proceeds to fund Taliban governor of Nangarhar Province and two Taliban commanders responsible for insurgent activity in eastern Afghanistan with cash, weapons and other supplies so that they could continue their "jihad" against western troops and the Afghan government. Based on heroin production statistics compiled by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Office of Drugs and Crime, in 2006, Bagcho's activities accounted for approximately 20% of the world's total production for that year. As of June 2012, Bagcho is the second person to be convicted under the US narco-terrorism statute. He was released on December 16, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagcho, Haji 1954 births Living people Afghan people imprisoned abroad Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government Afghan drug traffickers Pashtun people People extradited from Afghanistan People extradited to the United States Inmates of ADX Florence fr:Catégorie:Narco-économie en Afghanistan