A US judge sentenced an Afghan man to life in prison Tuesday for trafficking heroin to more than 20 countries and using the proceeds to fund and arm the Taliban. Haji Bagcho was convicted in March after a probe found he led a large-scale drug production and distribution ring and funnelled cash, weapons and other supplies to the former Taliban governor of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province and two Taliban commanders, according to the US Justice Department.
In 2006, Bagcho was responsible for almost 20 percent of the world's heroin production and made $250 million that year alone.