---
category: Other
died: 1988
summary: In September 1988, Ari Ben-Menashe visited the plant and met Mayers, who
  attempted to conceal the true purpose of the facility.
tags:
- Person
---

[Hans Mayers](/people/hans-mayers/) was a German national who served as the director of [Cardoen Industries](/people/carlos-cardoen/)' chemical plant in [Paraguay](/places/paraguay/). He presented the facility as an "agricultural project" producing insecticide, despite its true nature as a chemical weapons plant.[^1]

In September 1988, [Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) visited the plant and met [Mayers](/people/hans-mayers/), who attempted to conceal the true purpose of the facility. [Mayers](/people/hans-mayers/) stated that the product was sent to [Chile](/places/chile/) and then to [Iraq](/places/iraq/) for agricultural projects, and confirmed [Barbouti's](/people/ihsan-barbouti/) involvement as a joint venture partner, with materials sourced from [Florida](/places/florida/) and [Texas](/places/texas/).[^1]

[Mayers](/people/hans-mayers/) was later identified as one of the 19 individuals eliminated in late 1988 by [Mossad](/organizations/mossad/) hit squads, composed of unsuspecting Palestinians, as part of an [Israeli](/places/israel/) operation to stop the flow of chemical weapons technology to [Iraq](/places/iraq/).[^1]

[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992.