Man wanted for smuggling firearms extradited from Kenya to the US

An Ivorian national accused of conspiring to smuggle firearms into West Africa has been extradited from Kenya to the United States.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) confirmed that Bile Jean Philippe Assemian was handed over to U.S. authorities on September 25, 2025, following the conclusion of extradition proceedings in Nairobi.

Assemian was indicted by a Grand Jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, on May 28, 2025.

Court documents show that between October and November 2018, he and others allegedly purchased firearms in the U.S., mainly in Ohio and Maryland, intending to illegally export them to Côte d’Ivoire.

The U.S. government issued an INTERPOL Red Notice against him, prompting his arrest in Kenya.

On July 24, 2025, the ODPP, acting through the Central Authority in the Office of the Attorney General and Department of Justice, received a formal extradition request from Washington. 

"On July 24, 2025, the DPP, through the Central Authority under the Office of the Attorney General and Department of Justice, received a formal request from the United States for Assemian’s arrest and extradition," stated ODPP.

Proceedings began in Nairobi a day later, and on September 3, 2025, the Nairobi Chief Magistrate’s Court granted extradition orders, clearing the way for his transfer.