It seems like the plot of a B-movie, but in fact worldwide organized crime knows no bounds. Recently, Hezbollah, the Mexican drug cartels, Colombia cocaine manufacturers and a Lebanese national have all been linked.

A man named Ayman Joumaa who is currently at large is said to have connections to all of the above listed organized crime entities and the U. S. Treasury Department has said that he has made more than $850 million in drug profits. Joumaa is said to have used a Lebanese Canadian Bank to launder money used in the drug trade. This bank has since been sold because of the investigation.

According to U. S. Attorney Neil MacBride who is prosecuting the case, “Money fuels the drug trade, and Mr. Joumaa is alleged to be at the center of it all – working with those producing the vast majority of the world’s cocaine to get their drugs safely into the hands of Mexican cartels. Organized crime networks know no borders, and neither can U.S. law enforcement.”

In the Middle East, Lebanon is known to be a financial hub and the banks are known for their secrecy similar to the Swiss banks.