Hizballah Operatives and Financial Facilitators in South America and Lebanon

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration, designated key Hizballah operatives and financial facilitators in South America and Lebanon.

This action includes Amer Mohamed Akil Rada, who in addition to his role as a senior Hizballah operative, was one of the operational members of Hizballah who carried out the terrorist attack against the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) in Argentina in 1994 that killed 85 people.

Amer and his associates manage a commercial enterprise for Hizballah, including charcoal exports to Lebanon. This action targets seven key individuals and entities in this network that generates revenue for Hizballah’s terrorist activities and enables the terrorist group’s presence and nefarious activities in Latin America. Since its inception, Hizballah has established an extensive global infrastructure that includes commercial activities that allow Hizballah operatives to travel freely, strategically case targets, and transfer materials and funds.

AMER MOHAMED AKIL RADA

Amer Mohamed Akil Rada (Amer) is a longtime Hizballah member who currently lives in Lebanon but served in an operational role for the group for over a decade in South America. Amer functioned as a senior operative for Hizballah’s External Security Organization (ESO), which is responsible for Hizballah’s extraterritorial operations. Amer has coordinated the activities of various commercial enterprises for Hizballah, including charcoal exports from Colombia to Lebanon. As a Hizballah operative and leader, Amer uses as much as 80 percent of the proceeds of his commercial enterprise to benefit Hizballah.

In addition, Amer worked in close coordination with U.S.-designated Salman Raouf Salman to case targets around South America on behalf of Hizballah and was one of the operational members of Hizballah who carried out the AMIA bombing, the 1994 attack on the community center for the largest Jewish community in South America, killing 85 people and wounding hundreds more. He was also allegedly involved in the Israeli embassy bombing in Buenos Aires in 1992.

SAMER AKIL RADA AND BCI TECHNOLOGIES C.A.

Samer Akil Rada (Samer), Amer’s brother, is a member of Hizballah and has been actively linked to crimes related to illicit drug trafficking and money laundering in various countries in Latin America. Samer was previously based in Belize but fled because of a drug-related case. He was also implicated in the shipment of 500 kilograms of cocaine worth approximately $15 million that were hidden in fruit shipments and ultimately seized in El Salvador. Samer is the General Manager and CEO of Venezuela-based BCI Technologies C.A.

MAHDY AKIL HELBAWI AND ZANGA S.A.S.

Mahdy Akil Helbawi (Helbawi) is Amer’s son and conducts, on Amer’s behalf, business activities in Colombia, almost certainly in an effort to evade detection and circumvent sanctions. Helbawi established a Colombia-based charcoal company Zanga S.A.S., which has been the main supplier of companies controlled by individuals in this network, including Amer. Helbawi is the CEO of Zanga S.A.S.

BLACK DIAMOND SARL AND ALI ISMAIL AJROUCH

Zanga S.A.S. received transfers totaling approximately $40,000 from Lebanon-based company Black Diamond SARL, citing purchases of coal or charcoal. Ali Ismail Ajrouch is the owner of Black Diamond SARL.