How the arrest of a Lebanese man at Athens airport is tied to an international arms smuggling ring—spanning companies in Cyprus, Turkey, and Iraq—multi-million dollar contracts, and a dramatic escape from Greece.
In the early weeks of 2023, a small boat arrived in Rhodes and likely crossed into Syria. On board, according to allegations, was a Lebanese man wanted internationally for arms smuggling. He insisted he was not the person named in the prosecution documents. Yet, just hours before he was set to be extradited from Athens to the United States, he vanished under the watch of Greek authorities and has remained at large ever since.
His disappearance felt like the final scene of a thriller, as revealed by court documents from Greece and the U.S., as well as a source in Athens familiar with the case.
USA – Guatemala – Cyprus
On May 15, 2022, Lebanese national Samer Rayya was arrested at Athens airport. The U.S. indictment against him stated that Rayya and a Syrian national, Mohamad Majd Deiry, were allegedly key figures in an international arms smuggling network that moved weapons from the United States to the Middle East and Africa.
Issued in November 2021 by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the indictment detailed the two men’s movements between April and November 2016. It alleged that Rayya, Deiry and others used front companies and forged documents in an attempt to purchase arms and ammunition in the U.S.—including 23-millimeter anti-aircraft ammunition, grenade launchers, and firearms—without the required licenses.
Their plan was to transport the weapons via a U.S.-Guatemala-Cyprus route, with Iraq and Sudan as final destinations. Beyond smuggling, Rayya and Deiry also face money laundering charges in the U.S. In the indictment, they are described as principals of Black Shield, a company based in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The weapons were to be acquired from an undisclosed Florida company and funneled through Black Shield to end-users. U.S. legal documents reveal a complex web of contracts, agreements, and transactions worth millions of dollars.
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“Sign, stamp, and return”
In August 2016, Black Shield placed an order with the Florida-based company for 500,000 rounds of 23-millimeter anti-aircraft ammunition, intended for sale to Sudan—a country ravaged by decades of armed conflict. According to U.S. documents, the illegal purchase was valued at $4 million, with an initial down payment of $100,000. American authorities state that Deiry transferred this payment to the Florida-based company via a bank in Benin, West Africa. Two months later, in October 2016, Deiry emailed Rayya a copy of a sales contract between Black Shield and the Florida company. The contract was for a new order worth $1.2 million for 150,000 rounds of 23-millimeter anti-aircraft ammunition, with Iraq listed as the final destination. “Please sign, stamp, and return,” Deiry instructed Rayya. According to the documents, Rayya signed as CEO of Black Shield and returned the contract the same day.
The indictment also names another man—an Israeli-Uzbeki national—who worked alongside Deiry and Rayya, acting as a middleman. Shortly after the second order, Rayya allegedly emailed him, saying, “We are more than willing and enthusiastic to conclude this deal in order to move to bigger deals. We are looking for long term relationship.”
On November 15, Deiry, using an “encrypted message,” reportedly contacted the owner of the Florida-based, company – the arms supplier – with a four-page “wish list” of additional firearms. The supplier responded, “The list you sent is not an issue,” referring to heavy arms and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition. Through these emails, according to the U.S. court filings, the parties agreed that shipments would be routed through Guatemala rather than sent directly to Iraq.
At some point, Rayya and Deiry decided to send associates to the U.S. to personally inspect the weapons and ammunition they had ordered. According to Greek court documents reviewed by iMEdD, during one such trip—on November 15, 2016—two of their designated “inspectors” were arrested on U.S. soil.
To the Middle East via Lukashenko
In April 2024, the United States imposed sanctions on Black Shield, as well as on Deiry and Rayya, whom it identifies as directors of the Iraqi company. According to a press release by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Black Shield collaborated with the Belarusian company Kidma Tech OJSC, based in Minsk, to supply vehicles to the Middle East and establish companies in third countries to facilitate arms deals.
Kidma Tech OJSC had already been placed on the U.S. sanctions list in December 2021. It was accused of producing and exporting defense equipment, including surveillance systems, on behalf of the Lukashenko regime. iMEdD reached out to Kidma Tech OJSC for comment regarding its relationship with Black Shield, but as of the time of publication, no response had been received.
According to OFAC, Black Shield specializes in the purchase and sale of various types of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment—including small arms, night-vision scopes, silencers, armored vehicles, helicopters, and surface-to-air missiles—allegedly used in conflicts worldwide. The company is also believed to had ties to Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, as well as to Iran.
The network reportedly operated through intermediary front companies, including two in Cyprus and one in Turkey, which have also been sanctioned by the U.S. Both Cypriot companies, registered at the same address in Paphos, list Samer Rayya as their owner. When contacted by iMEdD, OFAC did not respond to confirm whether Black Shield remains operational.
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Under the watch of authorities
Rayya was arrested at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport before U.S. sanctions against him were imposed. He remained in custody in Athens for 16 days before being released on bail under the condition that he not leave the country. The Athens Appeals Council ruled in favor of his extradition to the United States, and the case was referred to the Supreme Court of Greece for a final decision. When the trial took place in February 2023, Rayya failed to appear.
His lawyers argued that the evidence provided by U.S. authorities did not substantiate the charge of criminal organization. At most, they claimed, it could be considered the formation of a gang or a preparatory act for arms trafficking—both of which are misdemeanors under Greek law and should have been dismissed due to the statute of limitations.
They also contended that the Greek authorities’ decision to approve Rayya’s extradition was “weak” and “poorly supported by evidence,” alleging that some of the material was sent to Athens at a later date and remained untranslated. This, they argued, raised suspicions that the extradition request was based on pretext rather than solid legal grounds.
While it is not explicitly stated in the case documents, Rayya himself reportedly claimed at an earlier stage of the investigation that he had been wrongly identified. “The surname Rayya is very common in Lebanon,” his defense team asserted, portraying the Lebanese national who was arrested at the Athens airport as a successful and wealthy businessman dealing in organic products. They claimed he frequently visited Greece with his family and owned property in the country.
Despite these arguments, the Supreme Court dismissed all objections and approved Rayya’s extradition to the U.S. However, by the time the decision was made, he had already disappeared from Greece.
A lawyer who previously represented Rayya in Athens told iMEdD that he has since lost all contact with him.
“Rayya is not in US custody and remains a fugitive. The Greek courts released Rayya on restrictive conditions at the onset of the extradition proceedings. The Supreme Court certified the extradition, but he fled,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice stated in response to written questions from iMEdD.
“Should be considered armed and dangerous”
Rayya’s current whereabouts remain unknown. His profile appears on the FBI’s wanted list, featuring a photo and basic personal details. In the image, he is seen with neatly combed hair and a trimmed white beard.
“Rayya has ties to or may visit Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Russia, Belarus, Sudan, and Libya,” the FBI’s wanted notice states. Below this, in bold red letters, it warns: “Should be considered armed and dangerous and a flight risk.”
Translation: Anatoli Stavroulopoulou.
Read all articles and analyses of the Special Report: “Armories of the Middle East” here.
This article was first published on Feb. 22 by the weekend edition of the newspaper “TA NEA”.
