In the cacophony of news about Gaza, Israel, Hizbullah, Iran, Houthis, and the Red Sea, the Ramthan-Captagan story is barely background music. But the story involves Syrian President Assad, the Assad clan, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, arms smuggling, Iranian proxy militias, including Hamas, and billions of dollars. Sharifi-Zindashti’s gangs traffic more than 20 percent of drugs distributed across Iran and about 35 percent of the drugs pushed in the capital Tehran. Iran and Western Hemisphere DrugsVenezuelan President Nicolás Maduro signed a 20-year cooperation agreement in Tehran in June 2022. Both vehicles can be used for drug smuggling and infiltration around the Caribbean Sea.

Source: Washington Post October 13, 2024 11:03 UTC