Cancún, QR - Federal authorities in Mexico, working with Interpol and international partners, arrested an Israeli citizen identified as Roy Cuzin at Cancún International Airport after he arrived on a flight from Panama. According to a source in the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), the capture unfolded in Terminal 2 following an alert about the suspect’s presence on Copa Airlines flight CMP293 from Panama City. Once his arrival and entry into Mexico were confirmed, agents from the Federal Ministerial Police and the Criminal Investigation Agency moved in to detain him. The arrest was made for extradition purposes under extradition file 18/2025.
Israeli fraud suspect arrested in Cancún
The suspect, originally from Haifa, Israel, had been on the run for several years and was listed on international wanted notices for alleged involvement in a large-scale fraud scheme tied to the company UTrade, which operated using binary options—an investment product that has been widely criticized and banned in several countries for its deceptive and easily manipulated structure. Mexican authorities said the operation that located Cuzin relied on coordinated efforts among multiple security agencies and the use of geolocation technology to track his movements. Once confirmed in Cancún, officers executed the arrest without a reported incident.
According to the FGR source, Cuzin and others allegedly ran fraudulent call centers that presented themselves as legitimate investment platforms. They allegedly lured thousands of victims worldwide to deposit funds into binary options schemes, then manipulated the platforms to ensure investors lost money or could not withdraw it. Victims were shown fabricated positive returns while the underlying system siphoned off their capital. These tactics mirror broader patterns exposed in investigations of Israeli-linked binary options fraud networks, where operators built elaborate online fronts and pressure sales tactics to extract funds from unsuspecting individuals.
Long history of scrutiny
UTrade, the company cited in the extradition file, has been part of a long history of scrutiny over binary options and related fraud. Key figures in the Israeli binary options industry have faced criminal charges and extended prison sentences in recent years, with courts in Israel continuing to pursue accountability for those tied to manipulative and illegal investment schemes. One prominent operative connected to UTrade had a jail sentence extended in 2024 amid ongoing revelations about algorithmic trading and deceptive practices that preyed on retail investors. Earlier reporting traced the origins of similar scams to complaints filed years prior, showing a pattern of recruitment, false legitimacy projection, and regulatory pushback as authorities gradually dismantled these networks.
After his arrest in Cancún, Cuzin was transferred to Terminal 4 and placed on an Aeroméxico flight to Mexico City, where the extradition proceedings will continue. Mexican officials have not publicly released the full contents of extradition file 18/2025, but the detained man is expected to face formal requests from Israeli justice authorities seeking his return to face charges related to the alleged fraud. The operation underscores growing international cooperation in tracking and capturing financial fugitives who exploit cross-border gaps to evade accountability.
Geolocation tools played a key role
The use of geolocation tools and intelligence sharing played a central role in the capture, according to the FGR source, reflecting a sustained effort by Mexico to be a partner in transnational financial crime enforcement. Interpol’s involvement and the alert stemming from the flight manifest review demonstrate how fugitive tracking now often depends on real-time data fusion between nations and agencies.
Victims of binary options fraud have long argued that the schemes are engineered to appear simple and high-reward while actually being almost impossible to win, with backend controls ensuring losses. Governments and regulators in multiple countries moved to outlaw or heavily restrict binary options trading after uncovering widespread manipulation, pressure sales tactics, and hidden fees that preyed on vulnerable or unsophisticated investors.
Extradition process advances in Mexico City
As the extradition process advances in Mexico City, authorities there will likely coordinate the formal handover with Israeli counterparts. The arrest of Roy Cuzin is the latest in a series of international efforts to clamp down on perpetrators of online investment fraud, sending a signal that long-running fugitives can be located and detained even after years of evasion.
Legal teams on both sides will review the extradition dossier, and a Mexican court will weigh the formal request from Israel. If the court approves the extradition, Cuzin would be transferred to Israeli custody to face charges tied to the alleged UTrade scheme and the broader binary options fraud operations. Until then, he remains in federal custody under the authority of Mexican prosecutorial agencies.
