What impact Hassan Nasrallah’s death will have on Hezbollah’s drug empire – Firstpost

The elimination of Hassan Nasrallah and the beheading of the Hezbollah leadership have changed the political landscape of West Asia. Now that the head of the snake has been decapitated, who will replace Nasrallah and his top lieutenants will determine whether Lebanon will collapse into civil war. If the Lebanese army can unite at this time with Shia officers and soldiers supporting their compatriots, Lebanon will turn a new page of independence from Iran, its Shia vitriol and Islamic extremism.

However, Nasrallah was also the head of a narco-syndicate. Although the true size of Hezbollah’s nacro-empire is difficult to estimate, some experts estimate its annual budget at around $1 billion. Given the scale of Hezbollah’s drug operations, from Afghanistan to Venezuela, and the various companies Hezbollah controlled to launder the proceeds in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, from used car distributors to restaurants and construction companies, the estimate of annual sales and assets are far too high. higher.

Nasrallah was known for his secrecy and compartmentalization, so law enforcement and intelligence agencies in multiple countries, especially those strategically important to the Iran-Hezbollah narco-empire, will have to work overtime to gather information to stop Hezbollah’s operations when they are at their weakest. This will help reduce its sphere of influence and bring Iran to a point of no return.

The destruction of the Hezbollah narco-syndicate leadership will not only cause a supply shortage in Europe, the Middle East and the United States, but could also lead to competition for Hezbollah’s trade routes and territory.

Apart from the political power vacuum in Lebanon and Syria and a crippling effect on Iran’s strategic depth, Hezbollah controlled much of Iran’s illicit financing. The extent to which Nasrallah’s death will impact the financing and resilience of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) supply chain for Iran’s nuclear program and strategic supplies remains to be seen.

Hezbollah has long been accused of engaging in various illegal activities, including drug trafficking, to finance its activities. Although Hezbollah has denied these allegations, multiple investigations and reports have linked the organization to the global drug trade, particularly the trafficking of heroin, Captagon and other narcotics. This network is believed to have strong links with criminal organizations in Europe, South America and the Middle East.

Hezbollah’s involvement in the heroin trade is often traced to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, a region notorious for poppy cultivation and drug production. Hezbollah is accused of offering protection to drug producers and traffickers in exchange for financial support. While the group may not directly produce heroin, it reportedly facilitates its transit, taking advantage of the smuggling routes that run through Lebanon, Syria and Europe. Lebanese heroin is said to be responsible for a fifth of US heroin sales.

Some reports suggest that Hezbollah intermediaries have had ties to Afghan heroin suppliers linked to the Taliban, creating a pipeline for heroin to flow from Afghanistan, through Hezbollah-controlled regions, to Europe and other destinations. In this scenario, Hezbollah’s role is believed to be primarily logistical, providing the infrastructure for heroin to move along major transit routes.

Captagon, an illegal amphetamine widely abused in the Middle East, has become a major revenue stream for several militant groups, including Hezbollah. The group is involved in the production and distribution of Captagon, mainly in Syria, which has become a major hub for the drug amid the chaos of the civil war.

Hezbollah’s strong military and political presence in Syria, where it has supported the Assad regime, has placed the country at the center of the Captagon trade. Reports from law enforcement agencies in Europe and the Middle East indicate that Hezbollah has been involved in large-scale manufacturing and smuggling operations, with Captagon often destined for the Gulf States and Europe. The drug trade not only finances Hezbollah’s operations, but also helps maintain its influence in Syria and the broader region.

Hezbollah is linked to South American drug cartels, especially in regions such as the Tri-Border Area (TBA), where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet. This area has long been a center for illegal activities, including drug trafficking, money laundering and the sale of counterfeit goods. Hezbollah is believed to have developed close ties with criminal organizations operating in this region, facilitating drug trafficking networks that move cocaine from South America to markets in Europe and the Middle East and financing “cocaine jihad.”

Hezbollah’s ties with Venezuela have also been strong, especially through its relationships with members of the Venezuelan government and military involved in the drug trade. The group acts as a middleman, helping to move large amounts of cocaine from Venezuela to West Africa and Europe. This is an important route for the flow of drugs into Europe and affects the core activities of European organized crime. It is also directly linked to the financing of the government of Nicolás Maduro and some of his key allies in Caracas.

In Europe, Hezbollah is involved in drug trafficking through its network of agents and sympathizers. European law enforcement agencies have identified cells linked to Hezbollah and involved in the distribution of heroin, cocaine and Captagon. In 2016, a US-led operation known as Project Cassandra accused Hezbollah of running a multi-billion dollar drug trafficking network, laundering drug money through European car dealers and working closely with South American cartels to move drugs into Europe transport.

In addition to human trafficking, Hezbollah has been involved in money laundering related to drug sales in Europe, taking advantage of the Lebanese diaspora, often through blackmail. These operations use legitimate companies to funnel drug money back to the group’s leaders in Lebanon, further entrenching Hezbollah in global organized crime networks.

The Gulf region, especially Saudi Arabia, has been a major destination for Captagon and other drugs smuggled through Hezbollah’s networks. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf countries have seized large shipments of Captagon in recent years, many of which were linked to Hezbollah and Syrian networks. The Gulf market offers a lucrative source of income for the group as Captagon is highly sought after in these regions.

The organization’s control over drug trafficking routes in Lebanon and Syria has allowed it to expand its influence and finance its military operations, especially in its fight alongside the Assad regime in Syria.

Hezbollah’s involvement in the drug trade is largely seen as a pragmatic strategy to secure financing for its operations. Given US and other countries’ sanctions against the terrorist group, drug trafficking has become an important alternative source of income, allowing Hezbollah to continue its extensive military and political activities. Beyond Hezbollah’s formal political and military role in its terrorist activities against Israel and its assistance to the Iranian government in its overseas operations, such as the formation of the Qassem Solimani Brigades, how will Hezbollah’s narco-empire be affected by the elimination of its leaders and what consequences this will have for security, arms and drug trafficking must be monitored.

The author is a writer who has worked closely and continues to advise various governments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He is the founder of the Dialogue on Democracy. The opinions expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost.