US Targets Hezbollah’s Drug Trafficking Operations
JaFaJ Intelligence has confirmed that US authorities have been targeting the drug trafficking operations of Hezbollah, the terrorist group based in Lebanon. In the last decade, Hezbollah has become one of the largest drug producers and distributors in the world. They market their drug of choice – cocaine – to Europe, where drugs sells for more than in North America. Hezbollah’s cocaine sales exceed $8 Billion annually.
JaFaj has also confirmed that despite claims that Iran is its main financier, Hezbollah receives minimal financial support from the Islamic Republic because their military and financial resources are stretched thin supporting and promoting terror in various parts of the region.
Specifically, Iran provides Hezbollah with intelligence, weapons, supplies and logistics. In fact, because Iran is short on funds, Hezbollah has “picked up the tab” on their behalf in Syria several times, deploying fighters and resources to support the Assad regime.
The US has been putting the pieces of the puzzle together and are mobilizing a massive task force that is focused on targeting Hezbollah’s drug empire. With joint operations between the DEA, CIA and the FBI, this is one of the few occasions where all three agencies are fully coordinating their operations. The US Department of Treasury is also an important part of this task force. Combined, they have been mapping and uncovering Hezbollah’s drug trafficking money laundering operations in Europe and Middle East countries including Lebanon, Jordan, and Dubai.
The crack down on Hezbollah’s financial resources was initiated by the US administration in January 2020, and is part of a larger plan designed to dry up the financial resources of Iran and its Middle East allies.
Ongoing investigations have also yielded evidence that will embarrass some of America’s European and Middle Eastern allies. The collected evidence points to the fact that some of those allies have been aware of Hezbollah’s drug and money laundering operations for almost a decade, but have chosen to turn a blind eye for a “piece of the action”. More embarrassing to the already embattled Lebanese government is this: classified investigations have found that many Lebanese officials (and their family members) have been involved in the money laundering operations, as well as actual drug trafficking.
JaFaJ intel confirms that it is still too early to see massive arrests and indictments, “but they are coming” [COMMENT: As with every massive drug operation conducted by American agencies, evidence needs to be collected and a case built, especially when the target is a “political heavyweight” like Lebanon-controlling Hezbollah. END COMMENT].
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