Four people were arrested in Argentina for allegedly financing Hezbollah

Argentine authorities have arrested four people in the provinces of Córdoba and Santa Fe (center) for allegedly transferring $1.8 million in cryptocurrencies to a virtual account believed to be linked to the Lebanese Shiite terror group Hezbollah, police sources reported .

The suspects were two men and two women who were in possession of three shotguns, a pistol, an air rifle, cartridges and various ammunition, money in virtual wallets, notebooks and notepads as well as a computer, a laptop and seven cell phones.

The investigation began last month after a report from the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) that warned of cryptocurrency transactions between a Colombian citizen – now an Argentine citizen – and a Syrian citizen allegedly linked to the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group.

The virtual wallet, which is believed to have received 34 transfers of “USTD” – a dollar-backed cryptocurrency – between March and June this year, was flagged by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control as suspected terrorist financing activity.

“With regard to these transactions, it is estimated that the volume of funds managed over a two-year period would amount to the sum of 1,800 billion pesos ($1.8 million), both in the form of credits and debits “The Argentine Federal Police (PFA) said in a statement.

In the document, they stated that as part of the fight against transnational crime promoted by the Argentine Ministry of Security, they dismantled a criminal organization suspected of financing international terrorism through the transfer of crypto assets.

Based on the information collected, the Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the PFA to carry out seven raids in the city of La Porteña, in Cordoba, and one in Vila, in the province of Santa Fe, which ended with the arrest of the suspects.

“The detainees, together with the confiscated items, were made available to the responsible judge,” the statement concluded. EFE and Aurora