US offers $10M reward for information on Hezbollah financial networks in South America
The United States is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of Hezbollah’s financial networks operating in the Tri-Border Area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, the State Department announced, 19 May.
The bounty, offered through the Department’s Rewards for Justice programme, specifically targets information about the designated Lebanon-based organisation’s revenue-generating activities in South America, which the Department alleged include: money laundering; narcotics trafficking; charcoal and oil smuggling; illicit diamond trade; smuggling of items including bulk cash, cigarettes, and luxury goods; document forgery; and the counterfeiting of US dollars.
‘They also generate revenue from commercial activities across Latin America, including construction, import and export of goods, and real estate sales,’ the State Department said.
The reward can be provided for information leading to the identification of Hezbollah’s revenue sources, financial facilitators, supporting financial institutions, business investments, front companies, or criminal schemes that financially benefit the organisation.
The Department alleged that Hezbollah ‘generates about one billion dollars annually from a combination of direct financial support from Iran, international businesses and investments, donor networks, corruption, and money laundering activities.’
Hezbollah was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the United States in October 1997 and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in October 2001. The group allegedly receives weapons, training, and funding from Iran, and has been designated as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1984.
