Project Titan (DEA)

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Project Titan was a joint operation conducted by U.S. and Colombian authorities in 2004, targeting Hezbollah's involvement in drug trafficking and money laundering. [1] [2] The project that was part of the larger Project Cassandra, was initiated by DEA agents in Miami as a large-scale money laundering investigation. [3] The operation successfully infiltrated a significant organized crime group in Medellin, Colombia, known as the Oficina de Envigado. It uncovered Hezbollah's deepening involvement with South American drug cartels, notably the Medellín Cartel, to finance its activities. A key figure identified was Chekri Mahmoud Harb, also known as "Taliban," a Lebanese-Colombian national who coordinated cocaine shipments from Colombia to the Middle East and Europe. Harb's network reportedly paid Hezbollah 12% of its narcotics income. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Investigation

The investigation revealed that Hezbollah operatives established business relationships with South American drug cartels, facilitating the movement of large quantities of cocaine to European and U.S. markets. The proceeds were laundered through complex schemes, including the Black Market Peso Exchange, and funneled back to Hezbollah to support its operations. [7]

Success

The operation resulted in the arrest of more than 130 suspects and the seizure of $23 million. It led to further investigations, including those targeting Ayman Joumaa, a significant figure in Hezbollah's global criminal network. [8] [9] [10]

Impact of Political Considerations on Project Titan's Progress

Despite the operation's initial successes, reports indicate that political considerations related to the Iran nuclear deal led to a slowdown in efforts against Hezbollah's illicit activities during the Obama administration. This decision reportedly hindered the DEA's ability to fully dismantle the network uncovered by Project Titan. [11]

See also

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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. The effort had two other investigation running simultaneously: Project Cedar and Project Titan. Launched in 2008, Project Cassandra was investigating the terrorist organization's funding. The DEA, Eurojust, and Europol found that Hezbollah was increasingly involved with drug trafficking and organized crime as a method of funding its activities. 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.

"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."

The illegal drug trade in Lebanon involves an expanding Lebanese involvement in both drug production and trade, a phenomenon substantiated by studies. The economic and political upheaval in Lebanon, as delineated in a study by the Euro-Gulf Information Center, has driven Hezbollah, wherein narcotics serve as a notable revenue stream, to intensify its involvement in the drug economy. Western intelligence agencies estimate that Lebanon produces over 4 million pounds of hashish and 20,000 pounds of heroin annually, generating profits exceeding US$4 billion. According to The Washington Post, Lebanon's drug industry contributes substantially to the country's economy, accounting for over half of its foreign-exchange earnings.

Chekri Mahmoud Harb is a Lebanese criminal with Colombian citizenship known for his involvement in international drug trafficking and money laundering activities. He has been linked both to Hezbollah and the Medellin Cartel, facilitating financial operations that supported them.

Abdallah Safi-Al-Din was born in Southern Lebanon on July 8, 1960. He is a Lebanese figure serving as Hezbollah's representative in Teheran. He is the brother of Hashem Safi-Al-Din who led Hezbollah's executive council until he was targeted by an Israeli airstrike in Dahieh and died in 2024.

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Ali Mohamed Kharroubi is a Lebanese national identified by the United States Department of the Treasury as a Specially Designated Narcotics Trafficker (SDNT) under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.

Project Cedar was a collaborative international law enforcement operation led by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in partnership with European authorities. Launched in 2016, the initiative aimed to dismantle a sophisticated global drug trafficking and money laundering network associated with Hezbollah’s Business Affairs Component (BAC), a unit known for managing the organization's financial activities.

References

  1. ↑ Levitt, Matthew (2022). "Episode 6: Operation Cedar Hezbollah Narco-Money Laundering". The Washington Insitute.
  2. ↑ ""Attacking Hezbollah's Financial Network: Policy Options"" (PDF). house.gov. 2017.
  3. ↑ "Report: Obama's WH Eased Up on Hezbollah to Appease Iran". The Daily Beast. 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  4. ↑ "Chekri Mahmoud Harb". OpenSanctions.org. 1961-08-25. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  5. ↑ "Watchlist Profile: Chekri Mahmoud Harb | Global Watchlist". www.sanctionswatchlist.com. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  6. ↑ IT, Lursoft (2025-01-22). "Chekri Mahmoud HARB". www.lursoft.lv. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  7. ↑ "DEA And European Authorities Uncover Massive Hizballah Drug And Money Laundering Scheme". United States Drug Enforcement Administration. 2016.
  8. ↑ "Press Releases". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2025-01-14. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  9. ↑ "Lebanese Drug Lord Charged in US: Links to Zetas and Hezbollah". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
  10. ↑ "United States: Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control Regulations Unblocking Czechoslovak Assets". International Legal Materials. 21 (2): 419. March 1982. doi:10.1017/s0020782900055236. ISSN   0020-7829.
  11. ↑ "The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook". Politico. Retrieved 2025-01-22.
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