The Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted an Iranian-backed drug lord and two Canadians for allegedly plotting to assassinate Iranian dissidents living in the United States.
Iranian drug lord Naji Ibrahim Sharifi Zindashti supplies They tipped off heroin and opium to high-level Iranian officials and used an encrypted messaging service to discuss plans to kill two Canadians, including Adam Pearson and Damion Ryan, both of Maryland. according to The Justice Department's indictment will be unsealed on Monday.Ministry of Justice Paid All three were charged with participating in a murder-for-hire plot, and Pearson was also charged with possessing a firearm as an illegal alien and fugitive.
Zindashti has previously been linked to the Iranian regime's efforts to silence its enemies by facilitating assassinations and kidnappings at Iranian direction. according to to the Ministry of Finance. Zindashti is based in Iran and has not been arrested by authorities, while two Canadian men are jailed in Canada on unrelated charges, according to the Justice Department. (Related article: Iran denies responsibility; US military says more soldiers injured in attack that killed 3)
According to the Justice Department, Zindashti contacted Ryan in January 2021 about a possible “job” in Maryland. Ryan then contacted Pearson, who allegedly began planning to arrange the murders of two Maryland residents, one of whom had previously defected from Iran.
Mr Pearson told Ryan he would assemble a team to carry out the killings and would “encourage them to shoot”. [the victim] a lot in my head [to] “Set an example,” he told her, according to a Justice Department indictment, and “you have to erase his head from this torso.”
Mr. Zindashti agreed to pay Mr. Ryan $350,000 plus $20,000 for travel expenses, the Justice Department said.
The Iranian flag flies next to a surface-to-surface Sarjir missile before it is launched at an undisclosed location in Iran, November 12, 2008. (AFP via Getty Images)
Zindashti operations traffic more than 20% of Iran's drugs. according to To Iran International. His network is protected by the Iranian government, according to the Treasury Department.
The Treasury Department announced on Monday that it would sanction assets linked to Zindashti. Zindashti operates under the direction of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, with the protection of the Iranian regime.
The Treasury Department and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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