Hezbollah rally (archives)
Photo: Reuters
US accuses Lebanese men of Hezbollah drug smuggling
Treasury Department also accused four Lebanese and Venezuelan men of playing role in money laundering to help benefit criminals, Hezbollah
The US Treasury Department on Wednesday banned Americans from doing business with four Lebanese and Venezuelan men it accused of helping to smuggle narcotics and oversee fundraising for the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group.
The four men are: Abbas Hussein Harb, who holds citizenship in Lebanon and Venezuela; Ibrahim Chibl, a Lebanese citizen; Ali Houssein Harb and Kassem Mohamad Saleh, both duel citizens of Lebanon and Venezuela.
Related articles:
- 'Venezuela will restore Israel ties if Chavez falls' 'Hezbollah boosting drone unit'
- Op-ed: Hezbollah is in trouble
Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party and guerrilla group that remains powerful in Lebanon and receives funding from Iran. Hezbollah has supported long-time ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is listed by the United States as a terrorist group.
The US Treasury Department said the group of men are linked to Lebanese drug kingpin Ayman Joumaa, who was indicted last December by a US federal grand jury in Virginia on charges of aiding Mexican drug cartels. The department said Harb and Chibl conspired with others to help ship millions of dollars in narcotics.
Harb and Chibl, using a Colombia- and Venezuela-based organization, laundered money through the Lebanese financial sector, the Treasury Department said.
The group of men were also accused of playing a role in money laundering to help benefit criminals and Hezbollah.
The US Treasury said Americans are now banned from doing any business with the four men under the terms of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.
Separately, the United States named Ali Mohamad Saleh, who holds citizenship in Lebanon and Colombia, as a global terrorist for his association with Hezbollah.
