The US Treasury Department sanctioned a network of the Hezbollah organization this Tuesday with tentacles in some South American countries, including Colombia.
The new sanctions, which are for terrorism, fall against four individuals and three companies, one of them based in Venezuela.
Among the people is Amer Mohamed Akil Rada, a Hezbollah member now based in Lebanon but with companies and commercial activities in countries in the region.
According to the Treasury Department, One of Akil Rada’s businesses was the export of coal from Colombia. They add that the Lebanese used up to 80 percent of his profits in these companies to finance Hezbollah’s activities.
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“Amer Mohamed Akil Rada (Amer) is a former member of Hezbollah who currently lives in Lebanon, but He played an operational role for the group for more than a decade in South America. Amer worked as a senior official in Hezbollah’s External Security Organization (ESO), which is responsible for Hezbollah’s extraterritorial operations. Amer has coordinated the activities of several commercial ventures for Hezbollah including charcoal exports from Colombia to Lebanon. “As a Hezbollah operative and leader, Amer uses up to 80 percent of the profits from his business venture to benefit Hezbollah,” the Treasury department says.
Likewise, Akil Rada was one of the members of the group that participated in the terrorist attack against an Israeli center in 1994 where 85 people died.
Another of those involved, Samer Akil Radam, Amer’s brother, is wanted for drug trafficking and appears as the CEO of BCI Technologies, a company based in Venezuela.
Samer, the Treasury says, “previously resided in Belize, but fled due to a drug-related case. He was also involved in shipping 500 kilograms of cocaine worth approximately $15 million that were hidden in shipments of fruits and vegetables. finally seized in El Salvador”.
The others sanctioned are Mahdy Akil Helbawi, Ali Ismail Ajrouch, and the companies Zanga SAS and Black Dimond SARL.
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Underlines the US government’s commitment to pursuing Hezbollah agents and financiers
“Today’s action underscores the U.S. government’s commitment to pursuing Hezbollah agents and financiers regardless of their location. We will continue to eliminate those who seek to abuse the U.S. and international financial system to finance and engage in terrorism,” he said. the Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
On Twitter @sergom68
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