A US court has sentenced British national of Pakistani origin, Muhammad Asif Hafeez — also known by his underworld alias “Sultan” — to 16 years in prison for orchestrating an international drug trafficking empire that spanned two decades.

The 66-year-old, who once presented himself as a respectable businessman and elite polo club patron in London, was found guilty of conspiring to smuggle vast quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and hashish into the United States and other countries.

According to US prosecutors, Hafeez was behind one of the world’s most prolific drug trafficking networks, overseeing operations from his residence in the UK while coordinating shipments of narcotics from production hubs in Pakistan and India to global markets.

Hafeez, who was arrested in London on August 25, 2017, was extradited to the US in 2023 after years of legal proceedings. In November, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to import drugs into the United States — including enough heroin to produce millions of potentially lethal doses.

US authorities described him as the “puppet-master” of a criminal network that spanned continents. His sentence, delivered by a New York court on Friday, reflects the severity of the charges. With time already served since his 2017 arrest, his prison term is set to expire in 2033.

Though publicly Hafeez cultivated an image of legitimacy — rubbing shoulders with British high society and even providing drug-related intelligence to authorities — investigators revealed a darker truth. His supposed cooperation with law enforcement was a strategic ploy to eliminate rival traffickers and consolidate power in the international narcotics trade.

“While pretending to help authorities intercept drugs, he was simultaneously flooding the world with narcotics,” US officials said. “He informed on his competitors while keeping his own trafficking network hidden.”