Hezbollah’s presence in Venezuela is often described as a future threat, but in reality, it has already transformed the country into a hub where terrorism and organized crime converge.
By embedding itself within the Maduro regime’s networks, Hezbollah has created a powerful crime-terror platform that strengthens Iran’s influence in Latin America.
The group’s operations in the region go back decades. Hezbollah’s External Security Organization (Unit 910), which carried out the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy and the 1994 AMIA attack in Argentina, later expanded into narcotics and money laundering. The DEA identified a Hezbollah business wing—the Business Affairs Component—handling drug trafficking and global cash operations. Today, almost 200 individuals or entities sanctioned by the US as narcotics traffickers are linked to Hezbollah.
Figures like Abdallah Safieddine, cousin of Hezbollah’s leader, and Adham Tabaja, who controls major businesses, oversee a vast network laundering funds through sectors like textiles, meat, construction, real estate, and tourism. Venezuela plays a key role in these activities, offering safe harbor and passports that enable operatives to move freely. Hezbollah’s ties to Caracas have allowed it to expand both criminal and political influence, mirroring the role of major cartels in the region.