The project
Project Cassandra was an overall effort led by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to undercut Hezbollah funding from illicit drug sources in South America. [1] The effort had two other investigations running simultaneously: Project Cedar and Project Titan. [4] Launched in 2008, Project Cassandra was investigating the terrorist organization's funding. [3] [5] The DEA, Eurojust, and Europol found that Hezbollah was increasingly involved with drug trafficking and organized crime as a method of funding its activities. [6] [7]
Hezbollah’s ties to Venezuela are part of its wider presence in Latin America. Reports say it has worked with criminal groups and some political figures there to launder money, traffic drugs, and move people and goods. This support helps Hezbollah raise money and operate beyond the Middle East, which some US officials see as a security risk. [8] [9] [10] The investigation was tracking how hundreds of millions of dollars were being laundered from North America through Europe and West Africa to Lebanon and into Hezbollah's coffers. [2]
"Members of Hezbollah established business relationships with South American drug cartels responsible for supplying large quantities of cocaine to the European and United States drug markets. An intricate network of money couriers collect and transport millions of euros in drug proceeds from Europe to the Middle East. The currency is then paid in Colombia to drug traffickers using the Hawala disbursement system. A large portion of the drug proceeds is laundered through Lebanon [facilitated by the now-defunct Lebanese Canadian Bank and other Lebanese nationals], where it is then used for the benefit of Hezbollah to purchase weapons." [11] [7]
Allegations and controversy
Josh Meyer's investigative report, published by Politico in December 2017, described how, during the Obama administration, concerns regarding the Iran nuclear deal took precedence over the DEA project. [3] [5] This led to the shutdown of Project Cassandra just as it was targeting senior Hezbollah figures, even though the group was still smuggling cocaine into the United States. [12] [5] Requests by the DEA team to secure support from the Departments of State, Justice, and Treasury for their investigation faced delays or rejections, and officials have publicly suggested that these obstacles were politically motivated, aiming to preserve ongoing negotiations over the nuclear agreement with Iran. [13] In his report, Meyer cited former Obama administration Treasury official Katherine Bauer, who testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in February 2017 that certain law enforcement efforts against Hezbollah had been constrained by policy decisions related to Iran. [14] Former Obama administration officials denied blocking actions against Hezbollah for political reasons, citing ongoing sanctions and prosecutions. Critics argued key arrests came only after nuclear talks concluded and claimed earlier efforts were obstructed. [3]
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