A Lebanese Shiite citizen, Qassem Hijazi was arrested last Tuesday in Paraguay by authorities at the request of the US embassy. He was on the “wanted list” by the US Treasury Department.

Hijazi is in custody but has not yet been transferred to the Americans.

What is Hijazi suspected of?

Qassem Hijazi, 48, a Lebanese Shiite citizen, is suspected of leading a money laundering network in the border triangle of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay in recent years.

Hijazi was considered in the early 2000s very close to Hezbollah in Lebanon and it is not inconceivable that he was also involved in the laundering of drug money laundering the organization.