Jean Thouma Hannah Succar Kuri (September 19, 1944 – June 14, 2024) was a Lebanese-born Mexican criminal convicted of

child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...

and

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

Cancún Cancún is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat of the municipality of Benito J ...

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...

. He was sentenced to 112 years in prison on August 31, 2011. On August 19, 1975, Succar arrived in the state of

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

with relatives of his, and then relocated to Cancún, which was seeing an explosion in the tourist industry. He then married, divorced, and remarried an 18-year-old woman, the mother of his five children. He saw his empire grow from a soda stand to a group of four villas, 70 hotel rooms, and one hotel. His fortune was estimated to be 30 million dollars. After the publication of the expose ''Los Demonios del Edén'' (

Demons of Eden ''The Demons of Eden: The Power that Protects Child Pornography'' () is a book by the Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho that analyzed child pornography and international child prostitution. The book records Cacho's investigation of the networks of p ...

) by

Lydia Cacho Lydia María Cacho Ribeiro (born 12 April 1963) is a Mexican journalist, feminist, and human rights activist. Described by Amnesty International as "perhaps Mexico's most famous investigative journalist and women's rights advocate", Cacho's repo ...

, he was associated with

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

-based Lebanese businessman Kamel Nacif Borge in a sexual exploitation ring. In 2004, he was detained in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, fourth-most populous city in Arizona ...

, and extradited to Mexico by a request of the

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

and

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

. He was accused of

, and

statutory rape In common law jurisdictions, statutory rape is nonforcible sexual activity in which one of the individuals is below the age of consent (the age required to legally consent to the behaviour). Although it usually refers to adults engaging in sex ...

. He was finally sentenced to 112 years in prison on charges of child pornography and corruption of minors. According to Mexican law, he would have to serve minimum 60 years of that sentence. Kuri died due to a heart problem in Cancún, on June 14, 2024, at the age of 79.

References

1944 births 2024 deaths Lebanese businesspeople Lebanese emigrants to Mexico Lebanese people imprisoned abroad Mexican businesspeople Mexican people of Lebanese descent People from Cancún People from Bsharri People extradited to Mexico People extradited from the United States Lebanese people imprisoned in the United States Prisoners who died in Mexican detention Lebanese criminals People convicted of child pornography offenses People convicted of child sexual abuse {{Mexico-business-bio-stub