Article

2025-05-20 Caribbean-Latin America

US seeks info on ''Hezbollah financial network'' in South America

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Fred 2025-05-20 00:00|| || Front Page|| [122 views ] Top
File under: Hezbollah

#1 Surprising announcement. Embassies in Asuncion and Buenos Aires were collecting information on tri-border in the 1980s. Lebanon served as trampoline as the Paraguay rep in Beirut was selling passports and travel documents to both Shiites and Sunnis. Since then it was established to the satisfaction of DEA who was running the narcotics show from Ciudad del Este. The tri-border remains untouchable because the governments of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina in effect lost control of the region long ago.

Posted by Albert McCoy9505 2025-05-20 07:52|| 2025-05-20 07:52|| Front Page Top

#2 Salt to taste:

DEA-trained agents work in Latin America and conspire with the cartels

DEA in Latin America: Dealing With Institutionalized Corruption

Posted by Skidmark 2025-05-20 10:05|| 2025-05-20 10:05|| Front Page Top

#3 /\ Panamanian dictator the late Tony Noriega was once a "friend" of the US Government.

Posted by Besoeker 2025-05-20 11:51|| 2025-05-20 11:51|| Front Page Top

#4 I may be confusing Noriega with some other ratbag dictator, but if I recall, the quote was "He may be a sumbitch, but he is *our* sumbitch". Right up until he wasn't.

Posted by SteveS 2025-05-20 12:04|| 2025-05-20 12:04|| Front Page Top

#5 /\ Exactly correct Steve.

Intelligence agencies enjoy some degree of success in small clandestine collection activities and missions. The kind of stuff which they were designed for. Larger scale military operations however, do not appear to be their forte. The Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, and Afghanistan could be offered as examples.

The transition from traditional collection to actual military operations is generally their downfall. Providing intelligence to other decision makers is seen as mundane. Becoming an 'operator' and shaping events is much sexier.

Posted by Besoeker 2025-05-20 12:14|| 2025-05-20 12:14|| Front Page Top

#6 A reminder of a parallel track of certain groups. Hawalah-long standing and often semi-immune from LE investigation to avoid "instantaneous" accusations of being Islamophobic, a serious woke crime second only to being a racist, and often conflated with it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawala_and_crime

Posted by NoMoreBS 2025-05-20 15:05|| 2025-05-20 15:05|| Front Page Top

23:22 Joluger+Omeremble1257
21:53 trailing wife
21:22 Super Hose
20:00 Skidmark
19:56 Skidmark
19:37 Frank G
19:34 Frank G
18:50 badanov
18:39 Melancholic
18:37 Melancholic
18:29 DarthVader
18:17 Procopius2k
18:15 Procopius2k
16:29 SteveS
16:28 Cured Romantic
16:14 Cured Romantic
15:47 BrerRabbit
15:39 Airandee
15:32 Vortigern Speaking for Boskone4685
15:10 swksvolFF
15:05 NoMoreBS
14:58 swksvolFF
14:56 NoMoreBS
14:46 NoMoreBS