On March 16, 2026 a federal jury trial began in Alexandria, VA against Antoine Kassis, an individual with close ties to the Assad regime who worked to supplyAssad regime  military-grade weapons to drug cartels in South America in exchange for cocaine. According to unsealed charging documents, Kassis intended to oversee the distribution of the cocaine in the Middle East. 

The SETF team worked closely with federal law enforcement, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), to build the case against Kassis and to arrest him while he was in Kenya to meet a weapons inspector from one of the cartels he was working with.

On March 23. 2026 the federal jury assigned to this case found the defendant guilty on two counts of narco-terrorism conspiracy and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. 

This verdict sends a clear message that accountability for crimes committed in Syria by the Assad regime and internationally by its associates is possible.