Bazzi is accused of using his extensive business network to evade US sanctions on Hezbollah. He allegedly established a network of shell companies to hide the origin of funds and conceal his dealings with Hezbollah, including providing them with weapons and ammunition.
Bazzi was one of the individuals previously targeted in Operation Cassandra. Operation Cassandra was a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation that targeted the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah's global criminal activities, including drug trafficking and money laundering. The operation was launched in 2008 and continued until 2015, resulting in the arrest and prosecution of numerous individuals involved in Hezbollah's criminal network.
Overall, Operation Cassandra was seen as a significant blow to Hezbollah's criminal activities, with dozens of individuals targeted and arrested as a result of the investigation. However, the operation was also subject to criticism, particularly over allegations that the Obama administration had downplayed its significance in order to avoid disrupting negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal.
Bazzi has been linked to several other individuals who have been designated by the US government for their involvement in Hezbollah's activities. These individuals include Adham Tabaja, Ali Charara, Abbas Hassan, Ali Fayad, Ayman Joumaa, Abdallah Safieddine, and Mohamad Noureddine.
The charges against Bazzi carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of money laundering and up to 10 years for violating US sanctions. US authorities will work with their Romanian counterparts to bring Bazzi to justice.
According to Counter Extremism, Bazzi has fundraised millions of dollars for Hezbollah through his business activities in Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq, and West Africa. He was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on May 17, 2018. Five companies owned or controlled by Bazzi were also designated by the U.S. Treasury on the same date. The United States had offered a reward of up to $10 million for information on Bazzi.
From 2009 to 2010, Bazzi worked with Abdallah Safi-Al-Din, Hezbollah’s representative to Iran, and the Central Bank of Iran to increase banking access between Iran and Lebanon. In 2011, Bazzi and Safi-Al-Din worked to resolve a dispute and reestablish relations between Iran and The Gambia. According to the U.S. Treasury, Bazzi is a “close associate” of Yahya Jammeh, the former president of The Gambia who was sanctioned by the United States in December 2017 for his record of human rights abuses and money laundering.
Five of Bazzi’s companies were also designated by the U.S. Treasury on May 17, 2018. They included the Belgian energy services conglomerate Global Trading Group NV, the Gambian petroleum company Euro African Group LTD, as well as three Lebanon-based companies: Africa Middle East Investment Holding SAL, Premier Investment Group SAL Offshore, and Car Escort Services S.A.L. Off Shore. On April 24, 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Bazzi’s son, Wael Bazzi, for acting on behalf of his father.