Nairobi court denies bail for Lebanese national facing US extradition over narcoterrorism
Kassis is accused of being part of a US criminal syndicate that trafficked drugs from Colombia to Syria in exchange for weapons smuggled back into Colombia.
The High Court in Nairobi has rejected an application to release on bail a Lebanese national suspected of involvement in narcoterrorism and money laundering in the United States, pending his extradition to America.
Antoine Kassis was arrested by Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) detectives in March at the Windsor Hotel in Nairobi, after arriving from Qatar in late February. The suspect was later detained at Gigiri Police Station pending arraignment at the Milimani Chief Magistrate’s Court.
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His arrest followed the issuance of a Red Notice by Interpol's National Central Bureau (NCB) in Washington, D.C., alongside an arrest warrant from the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
According to court documents, Kassis is accused of being part of a US criminal syndicate that trafficked drugs from Colombia to Syria in exchange for weapons smuggled back into Colombia.
Investigation findings from the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) have also revealed that Kassiss collaborated with a broker only identified as Kherfan to launder money, traffic cocaine and sell military-grade weapons allegedly acquired from the Syrian government.
After the suspect was taken into custody, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) submitted an application requesting approval for his extradition.
Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi approved the request on the grounds that it met the legal requirements under the Extradition Act, even though it faced some objections.
During the court session, Kassiss voluntarily agreed to be extradited to the United States.
However, he filed an application at the High Court seeking to be released on bail, but prosecutors Vincent Monda and Victor Owiti opposed the request.
Justice Alexander Muteti ordered the extradition order to be enforced.
The suspect will be extradited on May 21, 2025.
He is expected to face prosecution for conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism and money laundering before the US federal court.
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