Pakistani ‘Sultan’: How Asif Hafeez built and lost one of world’s largest drug networks

Dubai: The fall of Pakistani businessman Asif Hafeez, better known in the criminal world as “The Sultan,” has stunned many who once viewed him as a polished socialite and philanthropist.

On June 6, 2025, Hafeez was sentenced to 16 years in a New York prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges. The case capped a years-long legal saga that exposed how Hafeez, once a prominent figure in London’s elite circles, operated one of the most expansive and secretive drug empires in the world.

Hafeez’s story began in the luxurious corridors of a London polo club, where he rubbed elbows with British royalty and mingled with the high and mighty. By day, he was a businessman with a network spanning the UK, Middle East, and Pakistan. By night, he was secretly one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers, running a massive heroin, methamphetamine, and hashish distribution network out of Pakistan and India.

Mastermind

In the world of international drug cartels, Hafeez was a shadowy mastermind, masking his criminal operations behind legitimate business ventures and philanthropic gestures. His double life, however, began to unravel in 2014 when undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents filmed a meeting in Kenya between Hafeez’s associates and a Colombian drug buyer. The sting operation set off a chain of events that ultimately led to Hafeez’s arrest, lengthy extradition battles, and eventual conviction in the U.S.

The rise of ‘The Sultan’

Born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1958, Hafeez came from a middle-class background. He quickly ascended the ranks of business, founding Sarwani International Corporation in the early 1990s. At first glance, Sarwani appeared legitimate, its portfolio included military-grade drug detection tools, textiles, and even a restaurant in Lahore. These ventures funded a lavish lifestyle, which allowed Hafeez to rub shoulders with influential figures and gain access to networks that would later prove invaluable to his illicit activities, according to a BBC report.

From 2009 to 2011, Hafeez served as an ambassador for the prestigious Ham Polo Club. It was during this time that he met British royalty, though it was later clarified that Hafeez was never an actual member of the club. Despite this, his association with elite British circles helped him maintain the appearance of a legitimate businessman, even as his criminal enterprises flourished in the shadows.

A double life

Hafeez’s criminal operations were global in scope, supplying heroin, meth, and hashish from his bases in Pakistan and India to markets worldwide. But it was not just his illegal activities that set him apart. Hafeez also played a dangerous game of deception, positioning himself as an informant to law enforcement agencies across the UK and the Middle East. By providing tips that led to the disruption of rival cartels, Hafeez kept authorities at arm’s length while eliminating competition for his own drug empire.

In his communications with authorities, Hafeez was lauded as a concerned citizen, but the truth was far darker. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) later ruled that his intelligence-sharing was not motivated by a desire to fight crime, but by a desire to maintain dominance over the global drug market.

The sting operation

Hafeez’s fall from grace began in 2014 with a crucial sting operation. DEA agents filmed a meeting between two of his associates and a Colombian drug buyer in Mombasa, Kenya. The transaction, which involved 99kg of heroin and 2kg of meth, was intended for distribution in the U.S. During the meeting, Hafeez’s associates referred to him as “The Sultan,” identifying him as their supplier, according to the US State Department report.

This footage would become key evidence in the case against Hafeez, along with additional references to him found in the devices of his arrested associates. The operation marked the beginning of an investigation that spanned several years and multiple countries.

In 2016, Hafeez and Indian drug lord Vijaygiri “Vicky” Goswami were linked to a large-scale methamphetamine production operation involving ephedrine, a precursor chemical. Police intercepted the shipment of 18 tonnes of ephedrine before it could reach Mozambique, further exposing Hafeez’s role in the global drug trade.

Extradition

By January 2017, Hafeez was arrested in London and held at the high-security Belmarsh Prison while fighting extradition to the United States. He claimed that his status as an informant would put him in danger in U.S. prisons, and cited health issues such as diabetes and asthma in an attempt to avoid extradition. However, his appeals were rejected by UK courts, and after a final ruling from the European Court of Human Rights in 2023, Hafeez was extradited to the U.S.

The final sentence

In 2024, Hafeez pleaded guilty to multiple drug trafficking charges in New York. U.S. prosecutors highlighted the stark contrast between his lavish lifestyle and the suffering caused by the drugs he trafficked. Unlike many criminals driven by poverty or desperation, Hafeez’s motivation appeared to be power and greed, making his actions all the more reprehensible.

On June 6, 2025, Hafeez was sentenced to 16 years in prison. His sentence, set to end in 2033, closes the chapter on a criminal empire built on deception, wealth, and ruthless ambition.