The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, has a standing reward offer of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of the terrorist organization Hizballah. Under this reward offer, RFJ is requesting information on Hizballah Financial Networks in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
In the TBA, Hizballah financiers and facilitators generate revenue for the terrorist organization through illicit activities such as money laundering; narcotics trafficking; charcoal and oil smuggling; illicit diamond trade; smuggling of items including bulk cash, cigarettes, and luxury goods; document forgery; and the counterfeiting of U.S. dollars. They also generate revenue from commercial activities across Latin America, including construction, import and export of goods, and real estate sales.
Rewards can be provided for information leading to the identification and disruption of:
- a source of revenue for Hizballah or its key financial facilitation mechanisms;
- Hizballah donors or financial facilitators;
- financial institutions or exchange houses facilitating Hizballah transactions;
- businesses or investments owned or controlled by Hizballah or its financial facilitators;
- front companies engaged in international procurement of dual-use technology on behalf of Hizballah; and
- criminal schemes involving Hizballah members and supporters, which financially benefit the organization.
Hizballah is a Lebanon-based terrorist organization that receives weapons, training, and funding from Iran, which the Secretary of State designated as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984. It generates about one billion dollars annually from a combination of direct financial support from Iran, international businesses and investments, donor networks, corruption, and money laundering activities.
The State Department designated Hizballah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in October 1997 under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in October 2001 under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224.
