Muhammed Asif Hafeez, known as 'the Sultan,' a Pakistani businessman who outwardly lived a life of luxury and even informed authorities on rival cartels, has been sentenced to 16 years in a New York prison. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to import massive quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and hashish into the US, following a complex joint operation by British and American authorities.
How a polo-loving businessman was a secret global drug lord
PakistanKenyaDrugs tradeUnited States
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Muhammed Asif Hafeez, known as 'the Sultan,' a Pakistani businessman who outwardly lived a life of luxury and even informed authorities on rival cartels, has been sentenced to 16 years in a New York prison. He pleaded guilty to conspiring to import massive quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and hashish into the US, following a complex joint operation by British and American authorities.
Trending- 1 September 1958: Muhammed Asif Hafeez born
- 2 Early 1990s - mid-2010s: Hafeez ran Sarwani International Corporation
- 3 2000: Akasha brothers' father killed in Amsterdam
- 4 2009-2011: Hafeez listed as international ambassador for Ham Polo Club; photographed with Prince William and Prince Harry in 2009
- 5 2010s: Sarwani's global arms dissolved
- 6 2014: Meeting in Mombasa between Hafeez's associates and DEA undercover agent
- 7 October 2014: 99kg heroin and 2kg crystal meth delivered; Akasha brothers and Goswami arrested in Mombasa
- 8 2015: Goswami and Hafeez planned ephedrine transport while Goswami on bail
- 9 2016: Scheme abandoned after police raided Solapur plant
- 10 January 2017: Akasha brothers and Goswami extradited to US
- 11 September 2017: Hafeez arrested in London
- 12 2018: Hafeez's family shared letters with BBC
- 13 2019: Goswami pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate; Baktash Akasha sentenced to 25 years, Ibrahim Akasha to 23 years
- 14 May 2023: Hafeez extradited from UK to US
- 15 November 2024: Hafeez pleaded guilty in New York
- 16 Friday, June 6, 2025: Hafeez sentenced to 16 years in New York
- 17 2033: Hafeez's sentence ends
- Sentencing of a major global drug trafficker
- Disruption of a vast international drug empire
- Imprisonment of key cartel members
- Demonstration of international law enforcement cooperation
What: Muhammed Asif Hafeez, a Pakistani businessman and alleged 'one of the world's most prolific drug traffickers' known as 'the Sultan,' was sentenced to 16 years in a New York prison for conspiring to import drugs into the US. He had previously acted as an informant to authorities, but this was revealed to be a ploy against rivals.
When: Sentenced on Friday, June 6, 2025. He pleaded guilty in November 2024. He has been in custody since 2017 and was extradited in May 2023. His drug enterprise ran from the early 1990s to the mid-2010s. Key events leading to his capture include a 2014 meeting in Mombasa and a 2016 abandoned scheme.
Where: Sentenced in New York, USA. Arrested in London, UK, and detained at Belmarsh Prison. His operations spanned Pakistan (Lahore), India (Solapur), UAE, UK (Windsor, St John's Wood), Kenya (Mombasa), and Mozambique (Maputo).
Why: To bring a major global drug trafficker to justice following a lengthy international investigation and extradition process, and to dismantle his vast drug empire.
How: Through a complex joint operation by British and American authorities, including undercover work by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), seizure of evidence from associates, and a lengthy extradition battle. Hafeez eventually pleaded guilty to the charges.