Mysterious disappearance of Chavista minister Tarek al-Assami accused of drug trafficking and linked to Hezbollah

Where is Tarek Al Asami? It’s a question that has been repeated over and over in the Venezuelan media for almost a year. The last news of the current former petroleum minister was on March 20, 2023, when he announced his resignation. Since then, Nicolás Maduro, who was one of the most powerful men in the regime, has not appeared in public again. Much is unknown about his whereabouts, which has also raised hypotheses about a possible ‘purge’ within Chavismo.

Claudia Maniscalco || 20 minutes

Until now, El Asami’s name continues to be on the list of leaders of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and his face is also on the list of most wanted criminals by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, an international drug indictment. Manipulation

“He facilitated the shipment of narcotics from Venezuela, including the control of planes that left Venezuelan airports and drug routes through Venezuelan ports,” the US organization suggests, which also ascertained that Al Asami was the overseer or part owner of more than 1,000 shipments. On many occasions, kilos of drugs are shipped to Mexico and the US.

However, Al Asami would not only be involved in drug trafficking but other crimes as well. In fact, a file provided to The New York Times by a former Venezuelan intelligence official confirms that Al Essami and his family may have introduced Hezbollah members to the country “to expand espionage and drug trafficking networks in the region.”

The report also suggests that his aim was to “expand an intelligence network throughout Latin America” ​​and that the former minister facilitated the issuance of residence permits to members of Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization by the US. However, the document does not mention whether Hezbollah succeeded in establishing its network.

Extortion from Petróleos de Venezuela

El Asami disappeared after a multi-million dollar corruption scandal at the state company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) was revealed. Initially, official media reported that the embezzlement was $3 billion in cryptocurrency, which PDVSA accepted as a form of payment for crude oil sales, but later the prosecutor’s office announced that the amount was $5.5 billion.

However, Reuters exclusively revealed that the state company has accumulated $21 billion in accounts receivable after turning to dozens of intermediaries to export its oil under US sanctions.

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