NCJ Number
217509
Journal
Global Crime Volume: 7 Issue: 3-4 Dated: August-November 2006 Pages: 454-470
Date Published
August 2006
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This paper examines four criminal enterprises believed to provide funding to the Lebanese Hizballah: Intellectual Property Crime, drug smuggling, cigarette smuggling, and the exploitation of the African diamond trade.
Abstract
The gradual decrease in state sponsorship for terrorism has forced many terrorist organizations to find alternative sources of funding. The Lebanese Hizballah is one such terrorist organization. It has come to rely upon a worldwide network of members and supporters who engage in various forms of criminal enterprise and remand a portion of its illicit profits back to the group, thereby enabling the organization to become less dependent upon Iran. It is anticipated that Hizballah’s criminal networks will remain dynamic and adaptable in the face of law enforcement initiatives to cut off terrorism funding. The Lebanese Hizballah (Party of God) first came onto the world stage in April 1983. Hizballah evolved from a ragtag group of militants into a sophisticated organization with several thousand supporters and members and a multidimensional infrastructure complete with military, political, social welfare, and finance wings requiring a substantial amount of money to operate. It is believed that Iran has been a steady sponsor of Hizballah since its inception. In addition, Hizballah appears to be profiting from a variety of criminal enterprises, most notably, Intellectual Property Crime (IPC), drug smuggling, cigarette smuggling, and the exploitation of the African diamond trade. This paper provides a brief description of these enterprises, instances in which Hizballah’s members and supporters have been found to be involved in such crimes, and some indication as to how much money has been funneled to the Hizballah organization. 86 footnotes