Hezbollah’s Influence Expands in Latin America through Venezuela

Hezbollah’s growing presence in Latin America has been increasingly linked to Venezuela. U.S. lawmakers and former counterterrorism officials assert that the Maduro administration has transformed the country into a refuge for this notorious terrorist group, granting it access to vital drug trafficking routes, counterfeit documents, and avenues into the Western Hemisphere.

During a recent Senate hearing on international drug enforcement, both Republicans and Democrats expressed concerns regarding Hezbollah’s deeper integration into the Latin American criminal landscape. Originally concentrated in Colombia and the tri-border area, these activities are now reportedly under Venezuela’s protection.

Experts indicated that illegal operations—including drug trafficking, money laundering, and the issuance of false passports—have thrived with state endorsement. One specialist referred to Venezuela as “Hezbollah’s most significant facilitator in Latin America.”

“Venezuela remains a willing safe haven for the most lethal and dangerous foreign terrorist organizations to the United States,” said Marshall Billingsley, a former senior Treasury official.

Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) emphasized that Hezbollah’s nearly 50-year footprint in Latin America threatens the region and demands unified U.S. action.

Sales urged other Latin American nations, especially Brazil and Mexico, to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist entity. This bipartisan alarm, unusual in today’s Congress, underscores what lawmakers view as an imminent threat: that lax sanctions in the region are harboring global terror groups.

According to Sale, “Venezuela is a major driver of Hezbollah’s malign activities in our region.” Cornyn added, “This is no longer just a Middle East story. It’s about a terrorist organization establishing roots in the Western Hemisphere under a hostile regime’s protection.”

Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) went further, foreseeing a complete end to the Maduro regime. He remarked, “I think we will liberate Venezuela. That could be one of President Trump’s many legacies. I would be surprised if [Maduro is] still in power by year’s end,” suggesting a growing belief in Washington that regime change in Caracas might be pursued more aggressively, especially after a series of airstrikes targeting suspected traffickers.

Billingsley and Cornyn pointed out that Venezuelan authorities have issued passports to Hezbollah operatives, including former Vice President Tarek el Aissami, accused of facilitating movement for the militants across the region. It was mentioned that under el Aissami, over 10,000 passports were granted to individuals from Syria, Lebanon, and Iran, some connected to Hezbollah and Hamas.

This system reportedly allowed operatives to conceal their identities, launder money, and even use forged documents to enter the United States.

Ambassador Nathan Sales, a former counterterrorism coordinator for the State Department, elucidated how Hezbollah’s activities intertwine with the regional drug trade, including the trafficking of “black cocaine,” camouflaged as charcoal-like briquettes to evade detection.

Sales noted, “Hezbollah traffics drugs through criminal networks operating in the tri-border area, particularly in the sale of black cocaine.”

As sanctions tighten around Iran and Hezbollah, concerns have been raised that the group is increasingly dependent on drug proceeds from Latin America to sustain its operations.

Dr. Matthew Levitt from the Washington Institute posited that Venezuela has joined what he terms the “Axis of Avoidance,” a coalition of nations that resist global sanctions, notably including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Levitt characterized Venezuela’s involvement in this illicit network, outlining its roles in gold smuggling, oil cash transactions, and financial assurances to Iran and Hezbollah.