The Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control held a hearing this week on the Iran-financed Islamic terrorist network Hezbollah, and its oil smuggling, money laundering, counterfeiting, and illegal weapons procurement operations. All of these efforts are tied to drug cartels and communist regimes in Latin America.
It comes as no surprise that after the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria, Hezbollah’s ally, the terrorist network has had to seek funding and shelter elsewhere.
CUT OFF HEZBOLLAH’S LIFELINE TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCING
“In this critical time, Hezbollah may seek to further expand its Latin America drug trafficking and money laundering networks, and that’s why we are holding this hearing today,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), chairman of the caucus, stated in Global Gangsters: Hezbollah’s Latin American Drug Trafficking Operations.
“As noted by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Hezbollah established a presence in the lawless tri-border region of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, infiltrating the largest shiite muslim diaspora,” Cornyn added.
FINCEN also reported that Hezbollah’s expanding partnerships with South American drug cartels and the Chavez-Maduro regime in Venezuela are helping to advance the Islamic terrorist network’s money-laundering operations.
“I’m concerned about reports that indicate that the former Venezuelan Vice President was responsible for issuing the Venezuelan passports to Hezbollah members, facilitated their coming into Latin America, and helped Hezbollah to channel funds to the Middle East,” Cornyn said.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) called Venezuela a “safe haven” for one of the world’s most lethal terrorist networks.
In 2020, the Justice Department charged a former member of the Venezuelan General Assembly with narcotrafficking, terrorism, weapons offenses, and acting as a liaison between Cartel of the Suns and Hezbollah and Hamas.
As stated by Cornyn, Hezbollah’s ties to the communist regime have facilitated the terrorist network’s illicit activities in the region.
The group’s operations in Latin America first drew U.S. government attention during President Barack Obama’s administration, as Hezbollah began shifting its focus away from the Middle East. With the collapse of its chief financial patron, the Iranian regime, and the weakening of Syria’s Assad, the organization sought new funding sources abroad.
Now, under President Donald Trump’s second administration, Hezbollah is accelerating its activities across Latin America, filling the financial void left by its declining power base in the Middle East.
“President Trump’s brave decision to strike Iranian nuclear sites in Operation Midnight Hammer could dry up a key source of funding for Hezbollah,” Cornyn said.
Hezbollah’s other ally, Hamas, has been almost completely eradicated in Gaza thanks to Trump’s military alliance with Israel, which aimed to eliminate the terrorist organization after its brutal attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, giving Hezbollah an even stronger reason to expand its operations in the Western Hemisphere.
