Some family members of the Hezbollah-linked minister of industry in Lebanon have accused the Shiite jihadist group, considered Iran’s terrorist proxy, of drug trafficking and embezzling money.
The accusations came after Lebanese authorities arrested two drug traffickers on June 8, including the nephew of Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan. “Following the arrest, two contradictory statements were issued by the minister’s family,” reports the Saudi-friendly Al Arabiya. “One attacked Hezbollah and accused it of drug trafficking and embezzling money while the other defended it.”
For years, the U.S. government has been warning against Iran and Hezbollah’s criminal activities in the Western Hemisphere, particularly drug trafficking and money laundering in Latin America.
While authorities have long accused the terrorist group of laundering money of drug smugglers and other narco-terrorists, it appears the terror proxy is struggling to keep some of its members from stealing the organization’s money.
In May 2016, the U.S. Department of Treasury declared that the Shiite terrorist group finds itself in dire financial straits.
Nevertheless, one of the statements from al-Hajj Hassan’s family accused the several Hezbollah members of corruption, including millions of dollars worth of fraud and embezzlement.
The statement “accused several Hezbollah officials of corruption such as Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem and said that he and his son, Mohammed, are involved in scams as they’ve swindled a man named Salah Ezzeddine of $27 million,” notes Al Arabiya.
Moreover, “The statement also questioned the source of money of Ahmed Msheik, the former head of Hezbollah’s security committee and slammed Hezbollah member and politician Mohammed Fneish whose brother was arrested last year for selling fake medicine and forging the health ministry’s stamps,” adds the news outlet.
It also said that another Hezbollah official named Hussein Nasrallah embezzled funds and “stole the orphans’ money.”
The Hezbollah official’s family also revealed that Hussein Moussawi, a member of parliament in Lebanon affiliated with the Shiite group, “owns Captagon factories and deals in Captagon pills.”
Hezbollah is considered a legitimate major political party within Lebanon’s government, representing most of the country’s Shiites.
Captagon is considered the drug of choice of terrorists in war-devastated Syria where Hezbollah has been ordered by Iran to fight on behalf of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
It is an amphetamine narcotic that stimulates “the central nervous system, increasing alertness, boosting concentration and physical performance, and providing a feeling of well-being,” Forbes revealed.
According to some estimates, Iran provides up to $200 million to Hezbollah annually.
Moreover, the Shiite terrorist group generates millions from drug trafficking, money laundering, and other crimes. Some of the illegal proceeds are used to fund the group’s war in Syria.