US places sanctions on 10 people over alleged Hezbollah cash-smuggling ring

AI Summary

The US Treasury Department sanctioned 10 individuals involved in a cash-smuggling ring that provided hundreds of millions in funds to Hezbollah via commercial flights between Iran, Turkey, UAE, and Lebanon. The operation helped Hezbollah evade sanctions by moving foreign currency outside formal banking systems.

Courier network carried millions of dollars in cash to Lebanon on commercial flights, treasury department says The US treasury department announced sanctions on Thursday against 10 people it says formed a courier network that smuggled hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah by carrying cash onboard commercial flights between Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. The office of foreign assets control (OFAC) said the network allowed Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group,to obtain foreign currency and dodge sanctions outside the formal banking system. The treasury department linked the operation to a scheme once associated with Behnam Shahriyari, a now-deceased finance official for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. Continue reading...