How Hezbollah Escapes Sanctions in Venezuela and Participates in Maduro Drug Trafficking

The international media has provided extensive badysis of the events of April 30 and May 1, when the interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaidó, recognized by more than 54 countries, launched a popular uprising (under Articles 333 and 350 of the Venezuelan Constitution of 1999), in order to seek the support of the military command and to expel dictator Nicolás Maduro. Its # OperationFreedom has filled the hopes of millions of Venezuelans, two-thirds of whom suffer from starvation while Maduro's pockets are thickening day by day.

To be fair, Maduro did not invent the largest kleptocracy of the modern era, with more than 200 billion USD stolen, according to the most conservative estimates. His predecessor, Hugo Chávez, established the mechanisms, but Maduro has perfected them. In 2002, following a strike in the oil sector and after 48 hours of power failure, Chávez militarized the state oil company "Petróleos de Venezuela SA" (PDVSA). Skilled and trained oil executives overseas were expelled, and military commanders loyal to the dictator's ideology, without any knowledge of the oil industry but related to narco-terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah, they took over.

The transfer of authority has allowed for major mechanisms of corruption, with the money supposed to be destined for economic development that goes through illicit funds. With the coming to power of Maduro, everything got worse. The financial department of PDVSA has become a mechanism of money laundering for everyone, from Iran to FARC and Russian organized crime.

How did Venezuela's relations with Iran emerge? It is through the official policy of Hugo Chávez, who opened the Iranian financial channels in Venezuela. During his visits to Tehran in 2001 and 2003, Chávez signed strategic agreements with the president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the manufacture of integral parts for tractors and automobiles, as well as for the banking sector, including the Iranian bank Toseyeh Saderat.

The relationship with Hezbollah began differently. Latin America hosted many Lebanese immigrants in 1980 during the civil war. In the 90s, Lebanese Hezbollah tries to deepen financial relations with Latin American exilewhile the administrations of Presidents Rafsanjani and Khatami reduced their funding by almost 70%, and the sanctions also had a significant impact on the Iranian economy.

The two ties were united in 2007, when the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the time, Nicolás Maduro, and the Deputy Minister of Finance, Rafael Issa, met with Hezbollah leader Hbadan Nasrallah, in a hotel room in Damascus. As a result of this meeting, Maduro flew to Tehran to join Chavez in meeting with Ahmadinejad. Since then, many illicit trade links have been established. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps opened branches in Venezuela and, after moved money via PDVSA, use it to enter the international financial system and evade sanctions.

But there are much deeper links connecting Hezbollah to Venezuela: blood ties. A good example is the Tareck el-Aissami, former Minister of the Interior and judge, a Venezuelan of Syrian origin. El-Aissami appeared in the US Kindpin Act in February 2017 for playing a transcendent role in the international drug trade while vice president of Venezuela. The name of his main man, Samark López Bello, also appeared to provide material support for his activities through an international network of oil, distribution, engineering, telecommunications and holding company holding companies. by which he had invested. the benefits of the drug. Many of them had government contracts with PDVSA.

While the efforts of the # OperationFreedom They did not reach the goal of overthrowing Maduro, but he managed to discover many. The release of political prisoner Leopoldo López by his captors from the National Intelligence Service of Bolivia (SEBIN) and Guaidó's support to mid-level military revealed the extent of the regime's internal divide. Now, we also know that Maduro's closest circle has negotiated his departure. US Security Advisor John Bolton said Maduro was now "surrounded by scorpions in a bottle". US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Maduro would board the plane waiting for him to flee, if he did not. Russian interference. In essence, the Russians follow their Syrian strategy manual. His message to Maaduro was clear: trust us, we have kept Assad in power, we can also keep you in power.

Russians fear losing $ 17 billion that they lent to Maduro, of which 10 billion USD are still waiting, as well as the oil refinery and the obtained gas rights, if Guaidó occupies the presidential palace and invokes the doctrine of "odious debt"because the loans were not granted by the constitutional channels of approval of the National Assembly and were designed to keep in power an oppressive elite.

If it is likely that the interference of Russia will be purchased in a repayment agreement with a subsequent government in Maduro, Hezbollah will present a different challenge. US sanctions against Venezuela have had a side effect on Hezbollah's finances, affecting the salaries of its fighters in Syria and reducing its military and terrorist capabilities. However, they still make a lot of money thanks to drug trafficking Maduro regime, this continues to increase in horrendous proportions, while the cartel backed by Maduro 's army is eager to look for money and avoid penalties. Maduro's army becomes approximately 8.8 billion USD per year for drug, gasoline, food, gold and coltan traffic. As we have seen this week, they will not easily move away from their financial interests, which is perfectly fitting for Hezbollah.

Keeping Maduro in power is the best thing for Hezbollahand they will work hard to achieve it. During my visit to Beirut in 2012, they promised to maintain power with the successor to Chávez. Since then, Nasrallah has openly stated that he would like to see his man, Aissami, succeed Maduro.

The concern is that Hezbollah will try to keep Maduro through asymmetric or terrorist operations, if Maduro faced a major military threat that would put his power in jeopardy. If the change of regime was inevitable, they would make plans to maintain open their illicit funding channels through the army that remains beyond the transition, perhaps with Guaidó and with future politicians, identifying allies. This is the clbadic operating mode of Hezbollah.

If this does not develop a plan to treat Hezbollah In an effective way, now and after the transition, the sufferings of my people will be extended and deepened. We already know how to overcome the Syrian refugee crisis throughout the year, by destabilizing neighboring countries that have made considerable efforts to overcome their terrorist insurgencies and return to peace and prosperity, such as Peru and Colombia. Interrupting funding for criminal and terrorist groups in Venezuela would help improve security not only in the Western Hemisphere, but also in the Middle East.

Vanessa Neumann is the ambbadador appointed by Juan Guaidó and head of the diplomatic mission in the United Kingdom. Prior to her appointment, she was an expert in crime and terror and the author of "Blood Profits: How US Consumers inadvertently finance terrorism".