NEW YORK (AFP) – A US court on Thursday sentenced an Afghan tribal warlord and alleged Taliban associate to life in prison on charges that he imported heroin to the United States.

Bashir Noorzai, who once fought with US-backed Mujahideen forces against the Soviet occupation and is said to head the influential Noorzai tribe, was sentenced by a federal judge in a New York court.

The bearded and burly Afghan was arrested in 2005 while in New York where he was meeting US contractors and had apparently believed he would be ensured safe passage home.

US prosecutor Lev Dassin said Noorzai ran a "worldwide narcotics network" and supported the Taliban regime in Afghanistan prior to the 2001 US invasion.

"Today's sentence definitively puts an end to Noorzai's long criminal career."

Prosecutors say Noorzai is a close associate of the Taliban, including fugitive leader Mullah Omar, one of the world's most wanted men.

However, the case is surrounded by intrigue, with Noorzai's defense team claiming he had been an ally of the United States.

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