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Project Cedar was a collaborative international law enforcement operation led by theUnited States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in partnership with European authorities. Launched in 2016, the initiative aimed to dismantle a sophisticated globaldrug trafficking andmoney laundering network associated withHezbollah’s Business Affairs Component (BAC), a unit known for managing the organization's financial activities.[1][2]
The investigation was part of the largerProject Cassandra, which was an umbrella initiative encompassing about 20 operations targeting Hezbollah's global criminal support network.[3] The investigation revealed that Hezbollah had developed extensive ties with South American drug cartels, includingLa Oficina de Envigado, which suppliedcocaine to markets in theUnited States andEurope and the Colombia'sMedellín Cartel. Notably,Chekri Mahmoud Harb, also known as "Taliban," was a central figure in this network.[4][5][6] Harb, a Lebanese-Colombian national, was involved in coordinating cocaine shipments from South America to the Middle East and Europe, collaborating with those cartels. His operations funneled significant drug proceeds to Hezbollah, aiding in financing the group's activities.[1][7]
Proceeds from these drug sales were funneled through trade-based money laundering schemes, such as the Black Market Peso Exchange. This illicit financial network supported Hezbollah’s operations, supplementing its funding beyond the traditional financial backing fromIran.[1] The operation exposed Hezbollah's involvement in transnational organized crime, highlighting the group’s reliance on illegal narcotics trafficking and financial fraud to sustain its political and military activities. Project Cedar underscored the integration of terrorism financing and global criminal enterprises, prompting calls for enhanced international cooperation to disrupt such networks.[8][9][1]