The Akil Rada Clan
“Akil Rada clan”, whose activities, areas of operation, and importance to Hezbollah’s HQ in Lebanon have not received enough attention. Despite the fact that the clan is involved in terror attacks, drug smuggling, and providing financial assistance to Hezbollah.
The Rada Clan’s main hub of operations is in Venezuela, but it is not the only location they are operating from. The Bolivarian country has been for decades, an important ally of Iran and Hezbollah and has had an almost symbiotic relationship with the latter two. This welcoming environment has allowed the Rada Clan to pursue their activity with much ease and avoid detection.
Akil Rada Clan’s Operations
The Akil Rada is a family of a Venezuelan – Lebanese origin. The family members are not only involved in financial activities on behalf of Hezbollah but are also involved in drug-smuggling related activity. Some of the clan’s members are also operatives of the terrorist ESO.
The family members run diverse businesses such as import- export, international transportations, and cryptocurrency consulting. This activity is spread out throughout Latin America, and even in the far east. The profits from the clan’s business activity as well as its profits from drug smuggling operations are funneled to Hezbollah’s HQ in Lebanon. Moreover, some of the Clan’s seemingly legitimate businesses are used to smuggle drugs under the cover of legitimate shipments. At the top of the Akil Rada clan, stands Amer Mohamed Akil Rada that is a Hezbollah operative since the early 90’s, when he took a major place in two terror actions in Buenos Aires.
Main figures of the Akil Rada Clan
Amer Mohamed Akil Rada, considered to be the leader of the group. He was deeply involved in the two terror attacks in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1992 (Israeli Embassy) and 1994 (AMIA).
According to the Argentinian and Colombian Intelligence Agencies, he was the one who delivered the detonators to the suicide bombers in both attacks. After the second attack in 1994, the Argentinian authorities found a record showing that he entered the country through the TBA border prior to the first attack in 1992, but to date, there is no record that he exited the area. However, a few days after the second attack in 1994, he was spotted in Brazil, and later popped up in Venezuela. Even though he is highly likely to have remained in Venezuela, at least since 2014, there is no information about his location.
According to the new information that has recently surfaced, Amer Mohamed Akil Rada has been in contact all these years with Salman Raouf Salman, who was his commander int the 1992 and 1994 attacks. It is important to note, that Salman himself was designated by the US treasury and there is even a seven-million-dollar prize on any information about his location. Surprisingly, it is not the case with Akil Rada.
As a head of an important clan that operates on behalf of Hezbollah, Akil Rada cannot be regarded merely as a military operative, he has also become a dominant player in Hezbollah’s BAC network. Over the years, he has successfully established with the help of other family members, a host of companies spread out in several countries. These companies, according to both Argentinian and Colombian Intelligence Agencies, have for years now, transferred large amount of their profits to Hezbollah. In addition, Rada through export companies has also been involved in smuggling cocaine to Lebanon. One of his methods was to hide the cocaine inside coal shipments. According to the DEA, this is a known tactic among drug smugglers since it prevents detection dogs from picking up the scent of drugs.
Samer Mohamed Akil Rada, Amer Akil Rada’s brother. Based on our findings, he is in charge of the financial and business dealings of the clan. Nowadays he owns a cryptocurrency consultancy company called BCI Technologies, located in Venezuela. He seems to be act as “face” of the Clan since Amer is forced to live in the shadow.
Samer is a dominant figure in the cryptocurrency industry in Venezuela. It is important to note that the cryptocurrency industry is under the complete control of Maduro’s regime. In fact, Venezuela was the first country to produce its own cryptocurrency. This is hardly surprising since it is an easy way to launder money and evade US sanctions. Therefore, Venezuela is in need of those who possess the knowledge needed to establish such a complicated form of payment. Since Samer Akil Rada is considered to be a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency field in Venezuela, it is highly likely that he is in contact with the highest echelons of maduro’s regime. This, in turn, can provide the Rada clan with access to the regime as well as significant financial benefits.
Cryptocurrencies alongside gold, are the two best avenues for Maduro to launder money and transfer funds outside the country without detection. According to the declarations of the Venezuelan government, during 2020, Venezuela opened dozens of crypto ATM’s and stores, where anyone can convert cash to digital currencies and the opposite. We assume Samer will have an interest in owning such stores.
Apart from the cryptocurrency business, Samer Rada also owns several logistics and international shipment businesses in Belize that focus on import and export of various products. In the last decade, he was an executive member of the Corozal free zone in Belize, which indicates that he has multiple connections in central American countries.
Between the years 2014-2016 Samer served as a Sales Director of a company in Colombia called Tucan Carbon. This company does not have a web page, but it is highly possible that the clan used this coal company as cover to smuggle cocaine to Lebanon.
In 2013, Samer was questioned in Belize by the Anti – Drug Unit of the local police, because of suspicions involving one of the trucks his company owned. The truck that came from Costa Rica was stopped at a checkpoint at the El Salvadorian border as it was making its way toward Mexico. Upon inspection, police discovered that the truck contained 460 kg of cocaine, with an estimated worth of eleven million US dollars. Samer denied all charges, and thanks to his highly placed connections, his only punishment was to give up his position at the Corozal free zone board.
Akil Rada Clan Worldwide Presence:
PANAMA:
– IMPORTADORA MARISOL S.A.
Field of operation: import export business, probably clothes.
Shareholders: director: Amer Mohamed Akil Rada, subscribers: Luis Carlos Coronell Morais, Conception Alonso, directors: Mohamed Akil, Akil Amira, resident agent: Luque Coronell and Associates.
– SOL DISPATCHER INTERNATIONAL S.A.
Field of operation: most likely shipping company.
Shareholders: president & director: Mohamed Akil, directors: Ali Mohamed Akil, Nader Mohamed Akil, subscribers: Braulio Carrera, Ines Yee de Carrera, resident agent: Carrera y Asociados.
– SOCIEDAD IMPORTADORA SOL, S.A.
Field of operation: no information
Shareholders: president director: Mohamed Hassan Akil, directors: Nader Mohamed Akil, Amira Rada de Akil, subscriber: Yesika Gondola, resident agent: Lidia Yolanda Kelly.
– EXTYN, S.A.
Field of operation: import export, probably clothes.
Shareholders: directors: Ali Mohamed akil Rada, Samer Akil Rada, Majer Akil Rada, subscriber: Francisco Lee Fuentes.
MEXICO:
• Nader Akil Rada, wholesale sector, Cancun.
• Nader Akil Rada, consumer services, Cancun.
COLOMBIA:
• Ali Akil Rada, clothing, Barranquilla.
• Marlyn Akil Rada, jewelry manufacturing, Barranquilla.
• Importadora el Sol, Samer Akil Rada describes this as a family business.
VENEZUELA:
• Akilmax Generators. Samer Akil Rada.
• Grupo Akil, Majer Akil Rada, generators.
• Ogency Team, Hassan Akil Rada.
BELIZE:
• Grupo Sol Ltd – Logistics & Cargo. Samer Akil Rada.
• Oxcel Ltd – Logistics & Cargo. Samer Akil Rada.
• Cargoyo – Cargo Transportation, Samer Akil Rada.
HONG KONG:
• Alcott Limited, CEO: Ali Mohamed Akil Rada.
CHINA:
• Hong Kong Aikete Co., Ltd. Guangzhou representative office, CEO: Ali Mohamed Akil Rada, furniture.
• Yiwu Haoke Trading Co., Ltd, CEO: Hamzi Mohamed Akil Rada.
• Soul Asia Connect, Majer Akil Rada – CEO, Hassan Akil Rada – executive.
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