Here's reporting by the Houston Chronicle on the shadowy connection between Hezbollah and the "tri-border" area of South America. Populations of Middle Eastern immigrants offer support and shelter for the threats, even if only by a minority.
To keep a closer watch on the tri-border region — where the frontiers of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina converge and home to thousands of Lebanese Muslims — the Pentagon has dispatched small teams of U.S. troops to Paraguay, while the Department of Homeland Security has sent so-called "trade transparency units" to help crack down on money laundering and other financial crimes."Substantial financing for Hezbollah is coming from the tri-border area," said Daniel Glaser, the U.S. Treasury's assistant secretary of state for terrorist financing and financial crimes. "The problem very much has not been solved."
Since 9/11, U.S. officials have scoured the globe trying to shut down underground financial networks that support militant Islamic groups.
But their efforts in Ciudad del Este show how frustrating the task can be.
Scams range from contraband and cocaine smuggling to producing phony import-export invoices.
Tracking the tangle of paperwork is a nightmare.
Investigators say it's nearly impossible to penetrate the tight-knit Lebanese diaspora of around 30,000 that live and work in Ciudad del Este and Foz do Iguacu, just across the border in Brazil.
There have been few attempts to put the smuggling center out of business because so much commerce creates jobs, and well-to-do shop owners often bribe local officials and contribute to political candidates.
Related:
Terrorist and Organized Crime Groups in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of South America (PDF)
Posted by Alan at August 27, 2006 02:46 PM