“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat
Hamas, the extremist organization behind the attacks on Israel, is allegedly linked to Mexican cartels.
The Sinaloa Cartel is allegedly linked to Hamas, the organization responsible for the attacks on Israel.
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Hamas, an organization considered a terrorist organization, launched a series of attacks against Israel, which has led to a new escalation of violence in the Middle East. This Islamist group has links with organized crime in Mexico, specifically with the Sinaloa Cartel, according to an Israeli ex-military officer.
Dany Tirza, a former Israeli military officer who holds a high rank in the Defense Forces, revealed that Hamas and the Sinaloa Cartel came to have an agreement to share information and possibly promote drug trafficking in the Middle East, especially in nations such as Lebanon and Egypt.
What was the deal between Hamas and the Sinaloa Cartel like?
The veteran was one of the men behind the creation of a wall between Israel and the West Bank, nicknamed the West Bank, which seeks to contain incursions from Palestinian-occupied territories. Tirza said they discovered a couple of things among the detainees: the first was that they had the ability to tunnel 20 meters deep to clear the barrier.
The second was that the Islamist militias financed these tunnels with resources they obtained from alleged alliances with organized crime. The deal was as follows: Hamas taught members of the Sinaloa Cartel how to tunnel through barriers, while they received money in return, according to words he offered to journalist Oscar Balmen.
Likewise, Dany Tirza believes that Hamas and the Sinaloa Cartel did share methods for building the tunnels, since those created under the Israeli barrier and the border wall with the United States have similar characteristics: made with cement and steel, lighting and hydration systems, and a system of waterproofing.
The former Israeli military officer considers that the alliances between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Islamists remain, as he believes that they need them to send methamphetamines to the Middle East; while Hamas also entered into drug trafficking to obtain greater profits.
Do Mexican cartels have links in the Middle East?
The allegations made about alleged links between Mexican cartels and Middle Eastern terrorist groups are not recent: in 2017, then US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claimed that there were links between the Sinaloa Cartel and Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists.
According to the version offered by Tillerson before the House of Representatives, he assured that the Sinaloa Cartel and ISIS shared activities such as drug and human smuggling; a version that was not corroborated by the former official was the possible trafficking of ‘dirty bombs’, devices that have materials such as dynamite and radioactive elements.
In May 2021, a series of recordings appeared where drug traffickers in Turkey say “Pure Mayo Zambada!”, alluding to one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Local authorities speculate that Mexican cartels have links to the Gray Wolves, a far-right paramilitary group.
Turkey would be of vital importance to the Mexican and Colombian cartels, as it is the ‘gateway’ for drug trafficking to Middle Eastern nations such as Lebanon, Syria and even Israel. Authorities have not seized shipments or drug traffickers linked to Mexican groups.
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