Hezbollah recruiting convicts in Latin America for revenue, relaxing ideological requirements
Operation Trapiche, a counterterrorism operation launched by Brazil’s Federal Police in November 2023 with support from Israel’s Mossad, has shed light on Hezbollah’s efforts to outsource operatives.
Hezbollah is increasingly recruiting convicts in Latin America to generate revenue and relax ideological requirements, according to a new assessment by The Washington Institute. The investigation, led by Brazilian prosecutor Lucas Gualtieri, highlights the group's efforts to outsource operatives and financial services. Operation Trapiche, a counterterrorism operation in Brazil, uncovered Hezbollah's systematic recruitment process.
The group targets financially vulnerable felons with no prior ties to Hezbollah or Lebanon, sending them to Lebanon for training before sending them back to their home countries. This assembly line allows Hezbollah to deny involvement in attacks and attribute any unrest to fringe extremists. Additionally, Hezbollah is relying on criminal networks in Latin America for revenue, with examples including Brazilian tobacco shops funding recruits' plane tickets.
The group also uses cryptocurrency for money laundering, as seen in the case of Dante Felipini, a São Paulo cryptocurrency broker arrested as part of the Operation Colossus. Authorities should strengthen financial monitoring and pursue terrorism-related charges alongside other criminal offenses, according to Gualtieri.
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