World


Trump’s War on Narco Boats Strikes Hezbollah Cash Cow


Middle East terror group profits from drugs smuggled into U.S.


A BY LISA DAFTARI


mericans are familiar with headlines about South America’s sprawling drug networks, notorious for


flooding U.S. suburbs and communi- ties with cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. What receives far less attention,


however, is a shadowy alliance that gives these narcotics rings global reach: a thriving partnership with Hez- bollah, the Iran-backed terror group. Evidence from federal reports and international investigations reveals Venezuela’s cartels are not only fuel- ing addiction at home — they are directly bankrolling Hezbollah opera- tions, deepening a terror threat that extends far beyond the war on drugs. U.S. authorities say Hezbollah’s


presence in Latin America, including Venezuela and Colombia, is exten-


50 NEWSMAX | JANUARY 2026


sive and increasingly finding sophis- ticated and innovative ways to grow their presence. Cells operated by the group work


with cartel networks and regime- linked figures, using well-established family ties and corrupt bureaucracies to manage smuggling, money launder- ing, and logistics. Investigations like Operation Titan,


a joint U.S.-Colombian effort, exposed wide-reaching networks capable of moving tons of cocaine and massive amounts of cash from Venezuela and Colombia into West Africa, Europe, Lebanon, and the U.S. Over two years, authorities have


made more than 100 arrests and seized $23 million skimmed from this trans-regional criminal conglomerate. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Hezbollah’s network man- ages the maritime shipping of drugs, bulk cash courier operations, and laundering


through selling used cars to running restaurants, as well as gold mining. A 2014 DEA indictment referenced


cargo planes loaded with small arms arriving directly in Caracas — partial payment for kilos of cocaine provid- ed by FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and facilitated by the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Hezbollah also provides training,


weapons, and funding for anti-Ameri- can militias across Latin America and the Middle East, blending drug money with strategic interests. Treasury and Justice Department


reports note close personal and finan- cial links between Venezuelan regime insiders — like former Vice President Tareck El Aissami — and Hezbol- lah fundraisers. El Aissami has been


indicted in the U.S. as a key facilitator, controlling plane and maritime shipments of narcotics from Venezuelan


EL AISSAMI


EL AISSAMI/CAROLINA CABRAL/GETTY IMAGES


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