Τεύχος 2019 10 315

A M B A S S A D O R O F T H E U N IT E D S T A T E S O F A M E R IC A A T H E N S . G R E E C E August 27,2019 Efear M in is t e r C.h···. gacfe» ,d i? ' I would like to thank you for the successful conclusion of an important case in the United States that would not have been possible without the exceptional cooperation we received from the Hellenic Police. A joint, multi-year counter- proliferation investigation identified U.S. citizen R G as an international arms trafficker who was procuring weapons for Iran and Hezbollah. A California court sentenced him August 19, 2019 to 30 years in prison for attempting to acquire missile systems to destroy aircraft, among other charges. The success of this case would not have been possible without cooperation from the Hellenic Police, Hellenic Financial and Economic Crimes Unit, and the Ministry of Justice. In particular, the Hellenic Police’s Organized Crime Unit played a critical role by facilitating undercover activity, arresting Ghanem in Athens, and traveling to the United States to testify during the trial, and we are grateful. Please express our appreciation to all involved. You will find the U.S. Department of Justice press release on the case attached. Σ Ε Π Τ Ε Μ Β Ρ ΙΟ Ι - Ο Κ Τ Ω Β Ρ ΙΟ Σ 2019 ΑΣΤΥΝΟΜΙΚΗ ΑΝΑΣΚΟΠΗΣΗ 111