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Operation Cassandra: Uncovering Hezbollah's Role in Drug Trade in Latin America

News Bulletin Reports

2023-02-25 | 15:04

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Operation Cassandra: Uncovering Hezbollah's Role in Drug Trade in Latin America

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In 2008, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched Operation Cassandra, following evidence that Hezbollah had a role in the trafficking of cocaine in Latin America, specifically in Colombia and Venezuela.

Most of the information available about the operation comes from an investigative report by journalist Josh Meyer in Politico magazine.

According to the report, a network of Lebanese businessmen was working to finance Hezbollah directly by exporting cocaine from Latin America to Europe via Africa, and to the United States via Mexico.

The money laundering resulting from this trade was carried out by buying used cars in the United States and exporting them to Africa, where they were sold, and the money was sent to Lebanon.

Cassandra was the main reason for putting the Lebanese-Canadian Bank on the sanctions list, and it was also the reason for the arrest or sanctioning of many Lebanese in Lebanon and around the world, including:

Ayman Juma, who was sanctioned in 2011

Ali Fayyad, who was arrested in 2014 in Prague

Adham Tabaja, who is on the terrorism sanctions list

Mohammed Noureddine, who was arrested in 2017 in Paris

Samer el Debek, who was arrested in 2017 in Michigan

Joseph Asmar, who was arrested in 2017 in Paris

Abdullah Safi al-Din, who was sanctioned in 2018

Qasim Taj al-Din, who was arrested in 2017 and released in 2020

And others.

However, the Cassandra team's work soon began to slow down, as the conflict between U.S. agencies contributed to its end.

But many insist that the main reason was the political choice of the Obama administration team, giving priority to the Iranian nuclear agreement over efforts to curb Hezbollah.

While the work of U.S. agencies may have slowed down, it is clear that it did not stop for a single day, as evidenced by the recent arrest of Lebanese businessman Mohamad Bazzi in Romania.

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