Chekri Mahmoud Harb
Chekri Mahmoud Harb (Arabic شكري محمود حرب, born August 25, 1961, in Lebanon) is a Lebanese criminal with Colombian citizenship known for his involvement in international drug trafficking and money laundering activities. He has been linked both to Hezbollah and the Medellin Cartel, facilitating financial operations that supported them.[1][2][3]
Background and Activities
[edit]Chekri Harb also known by the alias "Taliban", emerged as a significant figure in narcotics trafficking and money laundering between the Medellin Cartel and the Middle East. Operating mainly from Meddelin, Colombia he had a major role in transporting Cocaine to various international locations and laundering the proceeds.[4] In 2008, Harb was arrested during Operation Titan, a collaborated effort of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Colombian authorities targeting drug trafficking networks with connections to Hezbollah.[5][6] This operation revealed that Harb's network was responsible for laundering substantial sums of drug money, most of it was transferred to Hezbollah.[7][8]
Sanctions and Legal Actions
[edit]After his arrest, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Harb as a Specially Designated Narcotic Trafficker under Executive Order 12978. This designation froze any asset he had under US jurisdiction and prohibits any U.S. persons from engaging financial or commercial transaction with him.[9]
Connections to Hezbollah
[edit]Investigations indicated that Harb's operations facilitated the laundering of drug proceeds through financial institutions, including the Lebanese Canadian Bank, thus supporting Hezbollah's activities. Harb actions also came up during the DEA's investigation named "Project Cassandra". His network had the ability to integrate illicit funds into the legitimate financial system.[10]
See also
[edit]- Illegal drug trade in Colombia
- Drug economy in Lebanon
- Foriegn relations of Hezbollah
- Funding of Hezbollah
- Abdallah Safi-Al-Din
References
[edit]- ^ "Chekri Mahmoud HARB". OpenSanctions.org. 1961-08-25. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "Chekri Mahmoud HARB". Lursoft. 2025-01-06. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "Watchlist Profile: Chekri Mahmoud Harb | Global Watchlist". www.sanctionswatchlist.com. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "Criminal funding – DW – 12/20/2011". dw.com. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "Colombia Ties Drug Ring to Hezbollah". The New York Times. 2008. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ P, Jeferson Guarin (2020-12-30). "FARC-Hezbollah: The success of Venezuela-Iran proxy groups and their convergence in the Americas". Security and Defence Quarterly. 31 (4): 117–134. doi:10.35467/sdq/130934. ISSN 2300-8741.
- ^ Hezbollah, l'enquête interdite (Documentary), Jack Kelly, Magneto Presse, 2023-02-05, retrieved 2025-01-06
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Treasury Designates Medellin Drug Lord Tied to Oficina de Envigado Organized Crime Group". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2009.
- ^ "Sanctions List Search". sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- ^ "Criminal funding – DW – 12/20/2011". dw.com. Retrieved 2025-01-06.