Sources: Feds Target Hezbollah Cell in L.A. By James Gordon Meek http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/11/sources_feds_target_hezbollah.php Today we report in the New York Daily News about a bizarre case unfolding in the Los Angeles communities Bell and Cudahy, where a special task force collared a <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/11/09/2007-11-09_busted_los _angeles_drug_ring_had_ties_to.html> dozen Arab-American and Latino suspects involved in a seemingly small-time drug and counterfeit clothing ring. While on the surface it doesn't appear to be terrorism-related, our sources say Operation Bell Bottoms targeted a "classic case of terrorism financing," with the defendants smuggling profits from selling dope and counterfeit goods in L.A. back to Iran-backed Shiite terror group Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon. Neither the press release by the <http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/news/pr2007/140.html> U.S. attorney for the Central District of California or court filings by the government specifically mention Hezbollah or terrorism. But one clue is found in the affidavits filed in court, which are signed by prosecutors from the Justice Department's National Security Division and by an FBI official assigned to "Counterterrorism Squad 4" in L.A., a task force brimming with agents from the FBI, DEA, IRS, Department of Homeland Security and local cops. CT-4 isn't known for making drug and counterfeiting cases. The counterfeit designer duds were sold out of local stores by the defendants from Bell and Cudahy. My colleague Jeff Anderson has written astounding stories that suggest no criminal activity in Cudahy is done without the blessing - and tax being paid to - the <http://www.laweekly.com/news/features/the-town-the-law-forgot/15731/> Mexican mafia and 18th Street gang. Also, while unmentioned so far in court papers, Hezbollah is well known to have profited from the illegal sale of name-brand counterfeits produced in the tri-border area of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. The Daily News has reported on similar scams before that were proven in federal court to be Hezbollah fundraising operations. Often they have involved smuggling cigarettes and other goods, as <http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/11/hezbollah_financing_through_cr.php> CT Blog contributing expert Matthew Levitt blogged about yesterday. As the possibility of a confrontation with Iran arises, so have fears that Hezbollah operatives involved in the U.S. fundraising schemes could turn operational and attack at Tehran's behest. While that may be a remote possibility, a federal case in 2003 fueled such speculation. Defendant <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2006/07/23/2006-07-23_wakeup_call_for_sleep ing_fiends_rising_t.html> Mahmoud Youssef Kourani was accused by federal prosecutors in Detroit of being a Hezbollah soldier trained in "weaponry, spycraft and counterintelligence." Kourani's brother was Hezbollah's security chief in southern Lebanon. _____ Busted Los Angeles drug ring had ties to Hezbollah _____ BY JAMES GORDON MEEK DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU Friday, November 9th 2007, 4:00 AM http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/11/09/2007-11-09_busted_los_ angeles_drug_ring_had_ties_to.html?print=1 WASHINGTON - A seemingly small-time drug ring busted this week in Los Angeles was actually targeted for funding the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, the Daily News has learned. Prosecutors left out the terror tie when they announced Tuesday that federal agents and local cops had arrested a dozen people for allegedly peddling cocaine and counterfeit clothing in Bell, Calif. But several sources familiar with the investigation said the predominantly Arab-American gang was believed to have smuggled its crime cash to the Iranian-backed terror group. "This was a classic case of terrorism financing, and it was pretty sophisticated how they did it," a source close to Operation Bell Bottoms told The News. The defendants once crammed $123,000 in money orders into a stuffed animal flown to Lebanon, an indictment alleged. The Justice Department's national security division and an FBI counterterrorism agent have signed all the court filings. Because information linking the gang to Hezbollah came from classified intelligence, the alleged ringleader and "his siblings and associates" face criminal charges instead of a terror rap. [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____ Release No. 07-140 November 6, 2007 http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/news/pr2007/140.html OPERATION BELL BOTTOMS TARGETS COUNTERFEITING, NARCOTICS OPERATION IN LOS ANGELES-AREA CLOTHING STORES A multi-agency task force this morning arrested a dozen people who face federal charges, including narcotics trafficking, selling counterfeit goods and crimes designed to conceal large sums of cash from authorities. Today's arrests and two over the weekend are the result of a two-year investigation into criminal conduct in and around clothing stores in the Los Angeles area. The investigation focused on the activities of Ali Khalil Elreda, his siblings and his associates. During the investigation, law enforcement has seized 30 kilograms of cocaine and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit clothing. The task force that dismantled the Elreda criminal operation today was comprised of agents and officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, IRS - Criminal Investigation, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The task force received substantial assistance from the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, the California Methamphetamine Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement Team, Customs and Border Protection, the Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Pomona Police Department, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department and the Chino Police Department. The defendants arrested today are: - Ali Khalil Elreda, 32, of Bell; - Mohamad Elreda (Ali's brother), 25, of Bell; - Susanne Elreda (Ali's sister), 34, of Smyrna, Georgia; - Hussein Saleh Saleh, 37, of Bell; - Robert Bell, 36, of Corona; - Dalisa Johnson, 37, of Corona; - Moussa Matar, 48 , of Cudahy; - Mohamad Matar (Moussa's son), 28, of Cudahy; - Ali Matar (Mohamad's twin brother), 28, of Cudahy: - Juan Gonzalez, 26, of Lynwood; - Frankie Higuera, 24, of Downey; and - Crystal Hill, 25, of Hawthorne. The defendants arrested this morning are expected to make their initial appearances this afternoon and tomorrow before a United States Magistrate Judge in Los Angeles. Two more defendants in the case - Epifanio Mercado, 29, of Perris, and Ricardo Nava, of El Monte - were arrested over the weekend. There are currently three fugitives in the case: Hassan Saleh Saleh (Hussein's brother), 36; Juan Galindo, of Cudahy; and Alfonso Bernal Barron. The federal charges are outlined in four criminal complaints and two indictments that were unsealed this morning. The Elreda siblings are named in one complaint that alleges they trafficked in counterfeit goods through a store called Hip Hop Connections. The second complaint charges Alil Elreda and seven others with conspiring to distribute narcotics, specifically cocaine. Mercado and Nava are charged with conspiring to traffic in cocaine in a third complaint. Hussein Saleh is charged in a complaint with trafficking in counterfeit goods through his store, Star City A & H. One indictment charges Ali Elread and Hassan Saleh with smuggling cash out of the United States. The second indictment charges the Maters with structuring cash transactions to avoid federal reporting requirements. During the investigation $123,000 was seized from Ali Elreda, who was attempting to smuggle these funds out of the United States inside a child's toy. The maximum penalty for the defendants charged with conspiring to distribute narcotics is life without parole in federal prison. The maximum penalty for the defendants charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods is 10 years in federal prison. The charges related to concealing cash from authorities carry maximum penalties of five years in prison. An indictment or complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court. ##### (F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with "Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The Copyright Act of 1976. 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