Malek Balouchzehi, Heroin Trafficking, New York 2023

A jury in the Southern District of New York has returned a guilty verdict against Malek Balouchzehi, a/k/a Malek Khan, on charges of conspiring to import heroin into the United States and distributing heroin for importation into the United States.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the conviction, which follows a one-week trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman. Balouchzehi, 39, of Iran, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison for each of the two counts on which he was convicted.

According to the indictment, Balouchzehi began communicating with individuals he believed were heroin traffickers in September 2019, with the goal of importing massive quantities of heroin into the United States. In December 2019, he sent a sample of approximately two kilograms of heroin to Mozambique, with the understanding that it would be transported to the United States for testing and sale in New York City.

Following the sample shipment, Balouchzehi planned to supply thousands of kilograms of heroin for importation to and distribution within the United States. In meetings in Nairobi, Kenya, in October 2021, he agreed to distribute ton quantities of heroin for importation to New York and to provide the heroin via maritime routes, using a fishing company to conceal his narcotics activities.

The DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit, and New York Field Division worked in conjunction with the DEA’s Nairobi, Maputo, Pretoria, Bucharest, and Jakarta Country Offices, the Kenyan National Police, the Mozambique National Criminal Investigation Services, and the Western Australia Police Force to bring Balouchzehi to justice.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams praised the efforts of the DEA and other law enforcement agencies, stating that Balouchzehi had trafficked drugs around the world for at least a decade and now faces the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaylan E. Lasky, Michael J. Lockard, Kimberly J. Ravener, and Elinor L. Tarlow handled the prosecution of the case, which is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit.

Malek Balouchzehi is scheduled to be sentenced on September 12, 2023.

This conviction is a significant blow to the international heroin trafficking network and a testament to the dedication of law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad who work tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle these organizations.

The case serves as a reminder of the serious consequences that individuals who engage in heroin trafficking face, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work diligently to bring these individuals to justice.

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