US court rejects Pakistani man's plea for leniency in global drug trafficking case sentence

A US court has rejected a Pakistani man's plea for a reduced prison sentence in a high-profile international drug trafficking case, sentencing him instead to 276 months (23 years) behind bars.

Muhammad Asif Hafeez, a former gold trader accused of running a global narcotics network, had argued that the US government breached the terms of his plea agreement by seeking a harsher sentence, but the court found no such violation.

A judge at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York has ruled that the US government did not breach its plea bargain agreement with Pakistani national Muhammad Asif Hafeez.

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Hafeez, extradited from the UK in May 2023, pleaded guilty on November 18, 2024, to two counts of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana for import into the US. 

He argued that the US violated the plea deal by seeking a sentence of at least 276 months (23 years), claiming he was promised a significantly lower term.

However, Judge Victor Marrero rejected the claim, stating there was no breach. The court found no evidence that the government had agreed to seek a sentence below that of Hafeez's co-defendants, Baktash and Ibrahim Akasha, who received 25 and 23 years, respectively. 

During his plea hearing, Hafeez, under oath, denied any promises beyond what was outlined in the official agreement.

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The Akasha brothers led a powerful drug trafficking network based in Kenya.

Alongside Hafeez and others, including Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni's husband Vicky Goswami, they were accused of conspiring to smuggle large quantities of drugs into the US from 2013 to 2017. Goswami later turned prosecution witness in 2019.

Judge Marrero concluded that Hafeez must adhere to the agreed sentencing guidelines. Hafeez, originally from Lahore but based in Dubai and London, was arrested in London in 2017 and held at Belmarsh Prison before extradition.

The case has drawn international attention due to its high-profile defendants and global drug trafficking links.