After Sting Operation, Cousin of Bashar al-Assad Convicted in Arms for Drugs Deal NYT | Top Stories By: Ephrat Livni 2 April 2026 at 17:03 The cousin, Antoine Kassis, was found guilty of conspiracy to support a terrorist group, after trying to sell weapons from the fallen regime to a Colombian militia. © David Guttenfelder/The New York TimesA defaced billboard of former Syrian leader Bashar al Assad, in Aleppo, last year.