Hezbollah’s Footprint in Venezuela: A Hemispheric Threat
U.S. lawmakers warned this week that Hezbollah’s reach in Latin America has a new base of operations inside Venezuela, where state protection has turned criminal networks into something far deadlier. Testimony at a Senate Caucus on International Counternarcotics Control painted a picture of passports, drug routes and money flows that help a designated terror group move and raise cash. The concern was framed not as a distant problem but as a direct threat to the Western Hemisphere.
Former Treasury official Marshall Billingslea testified bluntly that “Venezuela is a willing safe haven for what remains the most lethal, dangerous foreign terrorist organization to the United States.” That phrase set the tone for bipartisan alarm, with senators of both parties pressing for more decisive American action. The hearing linked Maduro’s regime directly to criminal facilitation, not mere tolerance.
Witnesses described an illicit ecosystem where travel documents and forged papers let operatives mask identities and slip across borders. Billingslea explained how tens of thousands of passports issued under Venezuelan authority included names tied to Iran, Lebanon and Syria, a detail that turns ordinary corruption into a national security problem. When a state issues the papers, it becomes part of the operation.
Ambassador Nathan Sales focused on the criminal side of Hezbollah’s funding in the region, warning that the group has embedded itself in drug networks and money laundering schemes. He said Hezbollah traffics narcotics through criminal networks active in the tri-border area. … It’s particularly involved in the sale of black cocaine, Sales said.
Black cocaine—compressed into charcoal-like briquettes to evade detection—illustrates how innovation in the trafficking trade has tactical implications for national security. As sanctions tighten on Iran and Middle Eastern revenue streams dry up, testimony argued, Hezbollah turns more to Latin American drug profits to keep its operations funded. That pivot makes the Western Hemisphere not only a transit zone but a funding zone.
Senators from both parties, including Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, urged coordinated responses across the Americas, pushing for partner nations to take stronger steps. Sales specifically called on countries like Brazil and Mexico to recognize Hezbollah as a full terrorist organization to cut off safe havens and financial conduits. Designations and legal tools are the first lines of defense in diplomatic and enforcement strategies.
Matthew Levitt warned that Venezuela is part of an “axis of evasion,” a sanctions-beating network linking Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, and that Caracas plays a role in gold smuggling, oil deals and financial cover for Tehran and Hezbollah. He described Venezuela as “the most important facilitator for Hezbollah in Latin America.” That label signals a need to treat Caracas as an active node in transnational crime, not merely a failing state.
The hearing mixed blunt warnings with policy options: expand designations, tighten maritime and port interdiction, and push multilateral enforcement in the region. Republicans at the hearing insisted on tougher measures and faster action to remove the sanctuary Venezuela offers to militants. That view ties counterterrorism, counternarcotics and diplomacy into a single urgency.
Sen. Bernie Moreno went further, predicting U.S. moves to unseat Nicolás Maduro and framing regime change as a necessary step to eliminate a safe haven. “I think we’re going to free Venezuela,” Moreno said. “That will be one of President Trump’s many, many legacies. It’s long past due, and I think his days are numbered.”
Moreno also warned that Maduro’s hold may not survive the year, saying he “would be surprised if [Maduro is] still in Venezuela by the end of this year.” Lawmakers pointed to recent maritime strikes against alleged narco-traffickers as a sign Washington is prepared to use forceful measures when necessary. The message was clear: tolerating a terror-enabled transnational criminal network in our backyard is unacceptable.
Policymakers at the hearing pressed for coordinated sanctions, enhanced intelligence sharing, and pressure on regional partners to act decisively. For Republicans and allies who see the hemisphere through a security lens, the choices are stark: confront the Maduro-Hezbollah nexus with sustained pressure or watch the problem metastasize. The hearing ended with a consensus that doing nothing is not an option.
