Nayef bin Fawwaz Al Shaalan Al Ruwaily (born 1956) ( ar, نايف بن فواز الشعلان) is a Saudi Arabian diplomat and businessman. As a grandson of Prince Nuri Al-Shaalan, Nayef is a prince and a member of the House of Al-Shaalan.

Business career

Nayef invested in the oil business in Colombia and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. In 1999 he smuggled two tons of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

from Venezuela to France. He was accused by the French government of using his diplomatic status to transport the drugs onto his private 727 jet. He escaped sentencing, and was convicted in absentia in 2007. The United States government also indicted him with conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Personal life

Nayef speaks eight languages. He lived in the United States from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. He is a grandson of Prince Amir Nuri al-Shaalan and a maternal grandson of the founding monarch of Saudi,

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...

. Nayef's older brother, Nawaf, is married to a daughter of King Abdullah. Nayef is the twin brother of Saud. Nayef's father-in-law is Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's former deputy minister of defense and aviation who was a member of the powerful

Sudairi Seven The Sudairi Seven ( ar, السديريون السبعة, ''As Sudayriyyūn as Sabʿah''), also spelled ''Sudairy'' or ''Sudayri'', is the commonly used name for a powerful alliance of seven full brothers within the Saudi royal family. They are al ...

. Nayef's twin brother Saud is also the son-in-law of Prince Abdul Rahman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaalan, Nayef bin Fawwaz Nayef Nayef 1956 births Living people Princeton University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Nayef Nayef Twin people