The expert in narcoterrorism in the Persian Gulf Johan Obdola assured that, for the last five years, the two largest Mexican cartels have distributed cocaine in Qatari territory, according to investigations carried out by the international consultancy —IOSI Global Organization for Security and Intelligence. — on drug trafficking in the Arab world.
In accordance with Johan Odolathe, offer of the Mexican cartels in the house of the World Cup 2022 is not limited to cocaine, but also includes methamphetamines and captagon, known as “the drug of the jihadists”, a powerful amphetamine that is capable of stimulating the nervous system to prevent sleep for more than 36 hours and which is very popular among the ranks of terrorist groups.
But in the months prior to the opening of the World Cup, the use of captagon —also called “the cocaine of the poor”— had another use in Qatar: it increased among migrants from poor countries in the Middle East who worked at forced marches in construction of new stadiums.
Iran has turned to criminal revenue streams to offset the financial constraints imposed by U.S. Treasury sanctions and its own expenditures on proxy wars. Additionally, the DEA has received information on Iranian embassies being used in furtherance of Hezbollah criminal enterprises. For example, diplomatic pouches have reportedly been used to transport narcotics at times. And while Iran is Hezbollah’s principal funder, the group’s illicit proceeds are sometimes used to line Iran’s coffers.
In Syria, Hezbollah has used its drug proceeds to buy arms for fighters on behalf of the Assad regime, with senior commander Ali Fayyad and another individual believed to be involved in the purchases. Hezbollah also protects smuggling routes in the so-called Shia Crescent, including in Syria. Reporting indicates that marijuana, Captagon, and other drugs are now being heavily trafficked by Syrian military intelligence.
Officials at the top of Hezbollah’s hierarchy have given a green light to, turned a blind eye to, and/or actively directed many of these criminal activities, including security chief Wafiq Safa and Abdallah Safieddine, the group’s representative to Iran and cousin to leader Hassan Nasrallah. The fact that Nasrallah has the ability to rein in these individuals but has chosen not to underscores how significant criminal revenue has become to the terrorist organization.
