Project Cassandra

{{Short description|Stymied DEA-led effort to undercut Hezbollah funding from illicit drug sources}}

{{For|a project aimed to use literature as "a tool for early crisis detection"|Project Cassandra (literature)}}

Project Cassandra was an overall effort led by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to undercut Hezbollah funding from illicit drug sources in South America.{{cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-obamas-white-house-went-easy-on-hezbollah-to-appease-iran|title=Report: Obama's White House Went Easy on Hezbollah to Appease Iran|date=18 December 2017|website=The Daily Beast|access-date=19 December 2017|archive-date=2 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502090652/https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-obamas-white-house-went-easy-on-hezbollah-to-appease-iran|url-status=live}} The effort had two other investigation running simultaneously: Project Cedar and Project Titan.{{Cite web |last=Levitt |first=Matthew |date=2022 |title=Episode 6: Operation Cedar Hezbollah Narco-Money Laundering |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/media/5452 |website=The Washington Institute}} Launched in 2008, Project Cassandra was investigating the terrorist organization's funding.{{cite web |last1=Ottolenghi |first1=Emanuele |title=The Laundromat: Hezbollah's Money-Laundering and Drug-Trafficking Networks in Latin America |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep34341 |website=JSTOR |publisher=Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies |access-date=28 November 2022 |pages=43–47 |language=en |date=1 July 2021 |archive-date=28 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128193456/https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep34341 |url-status=live }} The DEA, Eurojust, and Europol found that Hezbollah was increasingly involved with drug trafficking and organized crime as a method of funding its activities.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dea-targets-hezbollahs-money-laundering-ties-to-cartels/|title=DEA targets Hezbollah's cash flow link to cartels|website=cbsnews.com|date=3 February 2016 |access-date=2017-12-19|archive-date=2017-12-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052153/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dea-targets-hezbollahs-money-laundering-ties-to-cartels/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=DEA And European Authorities Uncover Massive Hizballah Drug And Money Laundering Scheme |url=https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2016/02/01/dea-and-european-authorities-uncover-massive-hizballah-drug-and-money |website=www.dea.gov |access-date=28 November 2022 |language=en |date=1 February 2016 |archive-date=28 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128193456/https://www.dea.gov/press-releases/2016/02/01/dea-and-european-authorities-uncover-massive-hizballah-drug-and-money |url-status=live }} The investigation was tracking how hundreds of millions of dollars were being laundered from North America through Europe and West Africa to Lebanon and into Hezbollah's coffers.[http://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA00/20170608/106094/HHRG-115-FA00-Wstate-MaltzD-20170608.pdf "Attacking Hezbollah's Financial Network: Policy Options" JUNE 8, 2017 STATEMENT OF DEREK S. MALTZ INTRODUCTION]

"Members of Hezbollah established business relationships with South American drug cartels responsible for supplying large quantities of cocaine to the European and United States drug markets. An intricate network of money couriers collect and transport millions of euros in drug proceeds from Europe to the Middle East. The currency is then paid in Colombia to drug traffickers using the Hawala disbursement system. A large portion of the drug proceeds is laundered through Lebanon [facilitated by the now-defunct Lebanese Canadian Bank and other Lebanese nationals], where it is then used for the benefit of Hezbollah to purchase weapons."{{cite web |title=Treasury Identifies Lebanese Canadian Bank Sal as a "Primary Money Laundering Concern" |url=https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/tg1057 |website=U.S. Department of the Treasury |access-date=28 November 2022 |language=en |date=10 February 2011 |archive-date=28 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128193502/https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/tg1057 |url-status=live }}

Josh Meyer's investigative report, published by Politico in December 2017, described how, during the Obama administration, concerns regarding the Iran nuclear deal took precedence over the DEA project.{{cite web|author=Josh Meyer|url=https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation/|title=The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook|website=politico.com|access-date=2017-12-19|archive-date=2017-12-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217223918/https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation/|url-status=live}} This caused Project Cassandra to be halted, as it was approaching the upper echelons of Hezbollah's conspiracy, in order to seal a nuclear deal with Iran, even though Hezbollah was still funneling cocaine into the United States.{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/hezbollah-cocaine-smuggle-united-states-obama-751928/|title=Hezbollah Smuggled Tons of Cocaine into the U.S. During Obama Administration, Report Reveals|website=newsweek.com|date=18 December 2017 |access-date=2019-12-30|archive-date=2019-12-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230225715/https://www.newsweek.com/hezbollah-cocaine-smuggle-united-states-obama-751928|url-status=live}} A former Obama administration Treasury official, Katherine Bauer, confirmed this during her testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in February 2017.{{cite web |title=Katherine Bauer Testimony to House Committee on Foreign Affairs: Iran on Notice |url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4329058-Katherine-Bauer-testimony-to-the-House-Committee.html |access-date=28 November 2022 |pages=6 |date=16 February 2017 |archive-date=28 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128200804/https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4329058-Katherine-Bauer-testimony-to-the-House-Committee.html |url-status=live }}