Project Cassandra

Project Cassandra is an effort led by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to undercut Hezbollah funding from illicit drug sources.[1] Launched in 2008, the project was said to be investigating the terrorist organization's funding.[2] According to the DEA, Hezbollah has become increasingly involved with drug trafficking and organized crime as a method of funding its activities.[3][4][5] The investigation was tracking how large sums of money were being laundered from the Americas, through Africa, and to Lebanon into Hezbollah's coffers.[6]

Josh Meyer's investigative report, published by Politico in December 2017, described how, during the Obama administration, concerns regarding the Iran nuclear deal allegedly took precedence over the DEA project.[2] This is said to have 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 America.[7] Former Obama officials criticized the Politico report as based on biased sources and conjecture.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Report: Obama's White House Went Easy on Hezbollah to Appease Iran". The Daily Beast. 18 December 2017.
  2. Josh Meyer. "The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook". politico.com.
  3. Ottolenghi, Emanuele (26 November 2017). "Hezbollah drug trafficking should spur Trump to appoint DEA head". thehill.com.
  4. "DEA targets Hezbollah's cash flow link to cartels". cbsnews.com.
  5. "DEA And European Authorities Uncover Massive Hizballah Drug And Money Laundering Scheme". dea.gov.
  6. "Attacking Hezbollah's Financial Network: Policy Options" JUNE 8, 2017 STATEMENT OF DEREK S. MALTZ INTRODUCTION
  7. "Hezbollah Smuggled Tons of Cocaine into the U.S. During Obama Administration, Report Reveals". newsweek.com.
  8. Wemple, Erik (21 December 2017). "Former Obama officials criticize Politico story alleging weakness against Hezbollah". washingtonpost.com.
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