This past Thursday, the information on the extradition was verified by the National Anti-Drug Secretariat of Paraguay, also known as Senad (14).
According to the findings of the inquiry, Hijazi was employed not only in the United States but also on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. According to the authorities, Kassem utilised six different firms in order to conduct illegal money transactions.
Tax and drug enforcement authorities in the United States made the discovery that the operation was being operated out of Cidade do Leste.
An American entrepreneur has been detained in Paraguay.
According to Senad, he was taken into custody in his office in Cidade do Leste, which is located in the country of Paraguay and is a municipality that is connected to Brazil by way of Foz do Iguacu, which is located in the western region of the state of Paraná via the International Friendship Bridge.
The United States government said that Hijazi was shielded by a bribery conspiracy involving many officials in the Paraguayan government, including legislators, prosecutors, and police.
The businessman provided services to criminals in the United States of America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and China by using the shell corporation that was located on the triple border.
The businessman was first posted in Asunción, Paraguay, but was later relocated to the United States. Photo credit: Senad/Disclosure
According to the National Anti-Drug Secretariat of Paraguay, the extradition of the suspect signifies a “coup against international organised crime in the country.”
“Kassem Mohamad Hijazi is now in the custody of the United States. His apprehension was seen as having significant military importance for both Paraguay and the United States. “The arrest and subsequent extradition of Hijazi demonstrates Paraguay’s commitment, on a multi-agency level, to the battle against international organised crime,” he said.
According to Senad, the suspect and his brother were both found guilty of offences relating to the laundering of monetary funds in the year 2004.
The probe received coverage on websites run by the United States government. The Department of Justice of the United States of America released a statement on social media on Monday (11), in which it thanked and congratulated Paraguay for its success in the extradition process.
In a publication, it was stated, “We thank the Attorney General of the Public Ministry of Paraguay for this successful extradition, with the support of the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of New York, the Anti-Drug Agency, and the Office of National Security Investigations.” This was done with support from all of these entities.
It was reported by defence attorneys Anderson Almeida and Mathaus Agacci at the time of the suspect’s arrest in Paraguay that Kassem Mohamad Hijazi is a businessman and merchant who has been operating lawfully in Paraguay for over 20 years. This information was provided at the time of the suspect’s arrest.
It was alleged by the defence that he was detained arbitrarily and unlawfully, and that this was due to the fact that there was no official extradition request issued by the United States to Paraguay during the legally allotted time period previous to the arrest.
Nevertheless, at the time, the attorneys said that the precautionary segregation was sought via diplomatic channels in the absence of any document that revealed any tangible proof against Kassem, which was located within the territory of the United States.
According to the attorneys, Kassem is of Brazilian descent and had resided in Foz de Iguacu.
