Chekri Mahmoud Harb | |
|---|---|
| Born | Chekri Mahmoud Harb 25 August 1961 Lebanon |
Chekri Mahmoud Harb, (born on August 25, 1961) is a Lebanese-Colombian national key figure in Hezbollah-linked drug trafficking and money laundering operations. Designated by U.S. authorities for his criminal activities, he operated under aliases like "Taliban" and coordinated cocaine shipments from Colombia to Europe and the Middle East. [1] [2]
Harb facilitated large-scale cocaine shipments, with Hezbollah receiving 12% of the profits from his network. His operations involved partnerships with South American cartels, including the Medellín Cartel and La Oficina de Envigado. [3] [4]
He used front companies like Comercial Jinan S.A. (Guatemala) and VARIEDADES HARB SPORT (Colombia) to launder millions of dollars, much of which funded Hezbollah. [5] [1]
Harb was arrested in 2008 during Operation Titan, a U.S.-Colombian joint investigation targeting Hezbollah's narco-terrorism ties The U.S. Treasury designated him and his businesses under counterterrorism sanctions. [6] [2]
He faced charges for drug trafficking and money laundering, with evidence linking him to Hezbollah's financial networks in the tri-border area of South America. [7] [8]
Harb's activities underscored Hezbollah's exploitation of Latin American drug routes to finance terrorism. His case highlighted concerns about the group's operational reach and the vulnerability of South American criminal networks to terrorist exploitation. [7] [6]