Published June 25, 2010, FOXNews.com
Iran-tied terror group Hezbollah may be colluding with drug cartels along t
he U.S.-Mexico border, a Republican congresswoman warned, calling on Homela
nd Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to establish a special task force to
figure out how to "clamp down" on this "national security" threat.
The Lebanon-based group has long-standing and documented ties to South Amer
ica and its drug gangs, but reports have recently surfaced that it may be e
xpanding its influence to Mexico and the U.S. border.
In her letter to Napolitano, Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., called on Homeland Se
curity to find out and report more on the extent of the problem. She cited
several troubling developments that would point to Hezbollah creeping close
r to and inside the United States, with the help of Mexican drug gangs.�
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"It is vital we know what is happening on our border, especially as crime a
nd violence continue to rise there and as terrorist plots and threats are i
ncreasing inside the U.S.," she wrote.
Myrick outlined a complex set of potential threats and evidence of their ex
istence. She said "Iranian agents and members of Hezbollah" are thought to
be learning Spanish in Hugo Chavez-run Venezuela before trying to obtain fa
lse documents to enter the United States as purported Mexicans. She said He
zbollah, known for its tunnel-digging skill, could be receiving drug money
from cartel operations in exchange for help forging better tunnels across t
he U.S. border for trafficking.
She said gang members in prisons in the American southwest are starting to
show up with tattoos in Farsi, implying a "Persian influence that can likel
y be traced back to Iran and its proxy army, Hezbollah."
FoxNews.com has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comm
ent on the numerous claims.
Myrick cited the opinions and findings of former intelligence officials and
others in her detailed letter. One of them was a "high-ranking Mexican Arm
y officer" whom she said believes Hezbollah could be training Mexican drug
cartels to make bombs.
"This might lead to Israel-like car bombings of Mexican/USA border personne
l or National Guard units," she wrote.
At a minimum, Hezbollah has a foothold in South America, according to offic
ial reports.
Anthony Placido, assistant administrator for intelligence at the Drug Enfor
cement Administration, told a House Oversight and Government Reform subcomm
ittee in March that the "drug and terrorism nexus" is strongest in the regi
on where the borders of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet. He said drugs
from this region, which are cheaper than in other hot spots, "can be resold
in other countries for large profits desired by those seeking funds to fur
ther terrorist activity such as Hezbollah."
He said some drug traffickers in the region have ties to the Lebanese terro
r group and have since the late 1980s or early 1990s.
"There are numerous reports of cocaine proceeds entering the coffers of Isl
amic Radical Groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas," he said, calling it "easy
revenue" that can be used for terror attacks.
An April Congressional Research Service report on drug trafficking in Latin
America cited that testimony.
A 2006 House Homeland Security Committee report further noted that Hezbolla
h members have already been caught entering the United States via Mexico, s
uggesting expanded activity. The report cited as one example the case of Ma
hmoud Youssef Kourani, the brother of a Hezbollah chief, who in 2005 pleade
d guilty to providing material support to Hezbollah after being smuggled ac
ross the U.S.-Mexico border and settling in Dearborn, Mich.
The report raised red flags about the "dangerous intersection between tradi
tional transnational criminal activities ... and more ominous threats to na
tional security."
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