Agents assigned to the General Directorate of the International Police (Interpol) arrested Mohamad Abou Ghoneim in the Baruta municipality (Miranda), who is wanted by France due to his alleged involvement in money laundering from drug trafficking.
Abou Ghobeim was born in Lebanon 36 years ago and acquired Venezuelan nationality. His arrest occurred at the entrance to the La Esmeralda urbanization, Baruta municipality, Miranda state, as reflected in ruling 852 issued by the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice.
The Interpol agents acted in response to a red notice filed by France on 10-24-25, a country that requested it to try him for the crimes of money laundering and participation in an illicit association. The Interpol file indicates that the investigations began in January 2025, following the transmission of information by the Italian authorities regarding a broad money laundering network, probably coming from drug trafficking.
These investigations made it possible to discover “the involvement of Abou Ghoneim, who was associated in particular with the brothers Feras and Mahmoud Alshoum, in dozens of money collections in France, destined for Italy. The transport was carried out in network vehicles, prepared with hiding places specially designed for this purpose.”
Once the arrest of Mohamad Abou Ghoneim was carried out, he was presented before the 27th Court of Control of the Criminal Judicial Circuit of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas, on November 25, 2025. At that presentation hearing, the representation of the Public Ministry requested to issue deprivation of liberty against the detainee, while it is decided whether or not he will be extradited to France. The Prosecutor’s request was approved by the Caracas court from where, in addition, they sent the file to the Criminal Chamber of the TSJ.
When analyzing the file, the magistrates verified that there is no formal request from France for Abou Ghoneim to be extradited.
For this reason, the magistrates gave France a period of 60 days “to formally express whether its interest in the extradition of said citizen persists and, if so, present the formal request for extradition with the necessary documentation, within said period (…) and it must be specified that, if the required documentation is not presented within said period, the freedom of the aforementioned citizen will be ordered.”
Such a decision is contained in sentence number 852, written by Judge Elsa Gómez and supported by her colleagues from the Criminal Chamber, Carmen Marisela Castro and Maikel Moreno Pérez.
