New York: A jury has convicted a former Afghan tribal leader of smuggling USD 50 million worth of heroin into the United States.

Bashir Noorzai was convicted of narcotics conspiracy today in US District Court in Manhattan. Prosecutors had said Noorzai was so influential in his homeland that he formed his own army and teamed up with the Taliban.

The US government said Noorzai was one of Afghanistan s most powerful men before the US invasion in October 2001. Noorzai s lawyer, Ivan Fisher, argued that his client was a friend of the United States who offered to help Americans fight terrorism and the drug trade.

Noorzai presided over the Noorzai tribe, comprised of 1 million people in southern and western Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan.
Source : PTI