"Shield of the Americas" Declares War on Hezbollah's Financing Roots in Latin America

In a bold legal move against transnational criminal networks, countries within the "Shield of the Americas" alliance signed a joint statement to add 24 gangs and criminal groups to their blacklists, including cartels with organic and strategic ties to the "Hezbollah" militia.

According to US security sources, the step includes strict measures such as freezing assets, imposing a comprehensive visa ban, and applying severe legal sanctions on any party providing material support to these criminal organizations.

The blacklist includes some of the most dangerous criminal cartels in the region, led by Venezuela's "Tren de Aragua" gang, Mexico's "Sinaloa Cartel" and "Jalisco New Generation Cartel," Colombia's "MS-13" movement and "Galgantas" gang, and Brazil's two crime pillars: the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command.

The alliance brings together countries such as the United States, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador, seeking to unify and intensify efforts to overthrow these cartels and prevent their logistical and material communication.

The absence of Brazil and Mexico from this alliance raises many legitimate questions about the field effectiveness of the coalition against organized crime cartels in Latin America.

Three Security Developments in This Regard

According to observers of Latin American affairs, the announcement of the blacklist coincides with three prominent security developments that revealed the extent of network penetration and risks.

The first development lies in the success of Brazilian cartels in penetrating official institutions. Recent charges issued by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office revealed that the "First Capital Command" gang effectively controls more than half of the companies operating the city's public bus network (12 out of 22 companies).

The cartel uses these operating companies as a primary cover for laundering drug trade money.

The second development is the new dangerous security escalation in Colombia, where the killing of José Luis Pérez Villanueva (nicknamed "Cholo"), the second-in-command of the "Sierra Nevada Self-Defense Forces," led to paralysis and security tension in "Santa Marta" following an operation that left casualties on both sides.

The third development is embodied in the series of operations and naval raids conducted by the US Department of Defense against drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, which resulted in dozens of deaths over the past months.

In this context, observers of Latin American affairs believe that tightening restrictions on the mentioned criminal groups will have serious and painful repercussions on the "Hezbollah" militia, especially since it built very complex relationships with these cartels over previous decades.

The latest sanctions list approved by the "Shield of the Americas" alliance carries geopolitical dimensions that go beyond the traditional borders of Latin America, connecting directly and indirectly to the "Hezbollah" militia.

Focusing on Hezbollah's Allies

According to well-informed security sources, the list issued by the alliance focused primarily on major Latin American gangs and cartels with organic ties to the "Hezbollah" militia, led by the "Tren de Aragua" cartel, "Sinaloa," and the "First Capital Command (PCC)."

They add that tightening restrictions on these cartels, whether through elimination or limiting their operational margins, will necessarily affect the "Hezbollah" militia.

The militia relies on the tri-border area between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay for smuggling, drugs, and money laundering to secure its financial resources outside the umbrella of the global financial system.

Security investigations proved the existence of intersections and logistical facilitations between the "Hezbollah" militia and major gangs like the "First Capital Command" (PCC) in Brazil, where bus networks and cross-border financial trade are used to launder drug money and smuggled goods for the funding parties.

Legal readings in this context consider that all 24 organizations listed were previously classified as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) by Washington, the same model and classification applied by the US administration to "Hezbollah"; this allows pursuing any entities or individuals providing dual material support to these networks.

In short, targeting the 24 criminal organizations constitutes a direct drying up of the "parallel economy" network and logistical supply lines exploited by Hezbollah and its regional allies to finance cross-border activities and projects.

Erem News