Coordinated Arrests And Charges Dismantle Hamas Terror Finance Network Raising Funds From the United States

The U.S. Justice Department released the information below:

The Justice Department announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Saleem Alzaq, as well as the arrests of Omar Adhami, Abdel Adhami, and Raed Yousef, for their involvement in paying, soliciting and collecting funds for Hamas. In a coordinated law enforcement operation in France, three of Alzaq’s associates, Faouzi Barika, Amel Oualid, and Nordine Barika were arrested by the French General Directorate for Internal Security. 

“Anyone who finances or assists terrorist organizations responsible for the deaths of American citizens should expect to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “For decades, members of Hamas have raised funding to carry out brutal terrorist attacks. Under the leadership of President Trump, the Department of Justice will continue pursuing terrorists who kill Americans, dismantling terrorist finance networks, and delivering justice for the families of victims.”

"The FBI will never forget the horrific attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023 – and we will never stop our efforts to cut off funding to Hamas terrorists," said FBI Director Kash Patel. "These subjects allegedly engaged in a conspiracy that extended beyond national borders to funnel money to Hamas and fuel violent attacks, using cryptocurrency, to try to hide their criminal activity. Today's announcement shows the abilities of this FBI and our interagency partners to follow the money and shut down resources going to terrorists under the guise of charitable giving – with 4,000 Foreign Terrorist organization related disruptions and stopping 1,100 alleged terrorist actors here at home and around the world since last year. Special thanks to our FBI New York, New Orleans, and Tampa Field Offices, our Counterterrorism Division, as well as the Paris Legal Attaché's Office and French authorities for their outstanding work with us in this case.”

“Money is the lifeblood of terrorist organizations, and the arrests announced today disrupted a global financing network that was supplying Hamas with the funds needed to continue its campaign of destroying innocent lives,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg, “These coordinated investigations and arrests spanned multiple jurisdictions in the United States and across international borders, and demonstrate that we will use all of our capabilities to eradicate terrorism. I want to thank the FBI agents and federal prosecutors who worked together to dismantle this network, and I also want to thank Joint Task Force 10-7 for its leadership in seeking justice for the victims of the Hamas-led attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 men, women, and children. My thoughts are with all who are still suffering from the losses of that terrible day, and the National Security Division will never stop working to hold the perpetrators, and those who enabled them, accountable for their atrocities.”

“This Office and our law enforcement partners will root out and prosecute those who finance Hamas, no matter where they are located,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York. “As alleged, Saleem Alzaq was the center of a Hamas financing network that operated around the globe, soliciting more than a million dollars from individual donors including here in the United States. The close cooperation of law enforcement and prosecutors’ offices to dismantle Alzaq’s alleged Hamas financing network demonstrates our commitment to depriving Hamas of the funding it relies on in Gaza and to commit terror attacks like the brutal October 7, 2023, massacre of more than a thousand innocent victims, including dozens of Americans.” 

“According to the indictment and complaint filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana, Saleem Alzaq solicited financial donations on behalf of Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for the commission of heinous attacks worldwide,” said U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “Omar Adhami and Abdel Adhami are accused of providing Alzaq with resources intended to fund Hamas’ relentless reign of terror. The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana are laser focused on the identification, prosecution, and eradication of terrorist networks, and the individuals who financially support these networks.” 

“Providing financial assistance and support to terrorist organizations like Hamas place the safety and security of everyone, anywhere in the world, at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “The diligence and cooperation exhibited by our domestic and international law enforcement partners during this investigation demonstrates our collective resolve to relentlessly pursue, disrupt, and prosecute those who engage in these illegal activities.”

“The NYPD’s counterterrorism work knows no borders,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.  “Our intelligence analysts uncovered this international finance network and built the case that exposed more than $2 million being funneled to Hamas. Saleem Alzaq, a leader in Hamas’ military arm responsible for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks, and the other defendants allegedly solicited donations under the guise of humanitarian aid and then directed that money to Hamas. This is the kind of extraordinary counterterrorism work the NYPD does every day to disrupt threats before they reach New Yorkers, and I thank our law enforcement partners for helping us dismantle this network.” 

According to the Alzaq indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York, the Adhami complaints filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and the Yousef indictment filed in the Middle District of Florida:

Alzaq, 45, of Gaza, is a Hamas member in the Gaza Strip and a battalion deputy in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the Al-Qassam Brigades), Hamas’s armed wing responsible for planning and executing terrorist attacks. Alzaq serves in the Photography Department of the Al-Qassam Brigades’ Shujaiyya Brigade Media Office, a Hamas propaganda office. In this role, he has photographed Hamas events, including events led by senior Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar. He distributes these photographs and descriptions of Hamas events to others involved in the Hamas propaganda apparatus. He has also posted Hamas propaganda across multiple social media platforms, including posts glorifying deceased leaders of Hamas (such as Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Haniyeh, and Sinwar); supporting Al-Qassam Brigades terrorists and glorifying Al-Qassam Brigades “martyrs;” and promoting and celebrating Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks against Southern Israel, in which more than 1,200 victims were murdered and more than 250 were taken hostage, including 46 American citizens. 

Since at least about January 2020, Alzaq has operated an international Hamas fundraising network that collects donations from individuals around the world, including from individuals in the United States. Alzaq promotes this fundraising through social media campaigns purportedly providing humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, while the money is funneled to Hamas. Since January 2020, Alzaq has collected more than $1.7 million through purported charitable campaigns. Alzaq’s associates in France, Barika, Amel Oualid, and others assisted Alzaq in collecting and transferring money raised for Hamas. 

Abdel Adhami, 35, and Omar Adhami, 33, both of Covington, Louisiana, donated funds to Alzaq’s Hamas financing network. Beginning in approximately February 2021, and continuing through approximately September 2026, Abdel Adhami allegedly contributed approximately $94,000 and Omar Adhami allegedly contributed approximately $11,000 to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, knowing that the organization engaged in terrorist activities, and attempted to conceal their contributions to Hamas through wire transfers, and the use of intermediaries. Yousef, a resident of Lutz, Florida, provided almost $50,000 to Alzaq’s Hamas financing network. 

Alzaq is charged with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiring to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Omar Adhami is charged with providing material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to provide material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. 

Abdel Adhami is charged with providing material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to provide material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. 

Raed Yousef, 56, of Lutz, Florida, is charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; five counts of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count; one count of providing funds, goods, and services to a specially designated terrorist, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison; five counts of attempting to provide funds, goods, and services to a specially designated terrorist, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in person on each count; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison; five counts of money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count; and one count of passport fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison.       

The Alzaq case is being investigated by the FBI with the assistance of the New York Police Department (NYPD). Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Markewitz, Ben Arad, Sarah L. Kushner, Juliana N. Murray, and Keith Savino for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Rob MacDonald and A.J. Dixon of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

The Adhami case is being investigated by the FBI New Orleans Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Kennedy for the Eastern District of Louisiana is prosecuting the case. 

The Yousef case is being investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Schmidt and Michael Buchanan for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

My Philly Daily On Crime Column: From Tijuana With Love - Philly Street Gang Linked To Mexican Cartel

 Philly Daily ran my On Crime column today. 

You can read the column via the link below or the following text:

Paul Davis: From Tijuana With Love — Philadelphia Street Gang Linked to Mexican Cartel – Philly Daily

In 1957 Ian Fleming published his fifth James Bond novel, which I believe was his finest spy thriller.  

The novel depicted a clever and sinister plot by the Soviet spy agency SMERSH, known in Russian as Smertʹ Shpionam, or “Death To Spies.” SMERSH planned to murder Bond in a humiliating public spy scandal using a psychopathic killer. To get to Bond, SMERSH used the enticement of a beautiful Russian girl who offered to bring over to the British a top-secret decoding machine.

Although the spy thriller was his most serious novel, Fleming gave it a tongue-in-check title, From Russia With Love. 

After learning of a Philadelphia street gang’s connection with a Mexican cartel, I thought of Fleming and how the cartel providing cocaine to a Philly street gang should be called from From Tijuana with Love.

On September 23^rd at a news conference U.S. Attorney David Metcalf (seen in the above photo) announced the indictment and takedown of a major Philadelphia drug trafficking organization that resulted in the seizure locally of over $8 million in cocaine and multiple firearms.

“In total, along with partners in other districts, over $17 million in cocaine was seized over the course of the investigation,” Metcalf said. 

According to the indictment, 10 alleged members of the Jones-Basley Drug Trafficking Organization (“DTO”) were charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and related offenses.

“Metcalf discussed the case alongside FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel.

“Literal truckloads of cocaine have been seized as a result of this case and kept from flooding our city,” said Metcalf. “Know that the investigation is ongoing and there will more arrests to come. We, the FBI, and the Philadelphia Police Department are zeroing in on the drug traffickers and cartels poisoning our neighborhoods and communities.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacobs added, “Drug trafficking does not simply end with the transaction. Its impact can reach far beyond those involved in the criminal activity, threatening the safety and well-being of our neighborhoods, and putting families and communities at risk. No one agency can do this work alone. We appreciate our partners at the Philadelphia Police Department and the United States Attorney’s Office for their diligent efforts in this investigation. We will continue working alongside them to identify those who bringing dangerous drugs into our city, take down the organizations behind this activity, and bring those responsible to justice.”

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel also weighed in, “This investigation is another example of what is possible when local and federal law enforcement work together with a shared mission. Drug trafficking organizations operating at this scale fuel violence, destabilize neighborhoods and cause tremendous harm in our communities. I am especially proud of the Philadelphia Police Department members assigned to this task force, whose work alongside our federal partners helped bring this investigation to this point. I want to thank U.S. Attorney Metcalf, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, the FBI, and every investigator and partner who contributed to this case. We will continue working shoulder-to-shoulder to disrupt these organizations, hold those responsible accountable and make Philadelphia safer.”

As alleged in the indictment, the Jones-Basley DTO, led by Gregory Jones, aka “Smallz,” 48, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Edward Basley, aka “Beeb,” 47, of Wayne, Pa., coordinated with a Mexican drug cartel to transport hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Mexico to Philadelphia, with the DTO pushing between $5 million and $10 million dollars’ worth of cocaine onto the city’s streets every month.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) stated that Jones and Basley are both charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

In addition, Jones is charged with possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine within 1,000 feet of an elementary school, and Basley with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

According to the USAO, if convicted, all the defendants face maximum possible sentences of life imprisonment.

“This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (“HSTF”) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad,” the USAO explained. “Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.” 

The USAO noted that HSTF Philadelphia is co-led by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, and partner agencies include the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The Trump Administration is dead serious about illegal drug entering our country, from federal law enforcement task forces in Philadelphia and other cities, to the U.S. Navy sinking boats carrying deadly drugs at sea.

President Trump also authorized U.S. Special Operations to launch “Operation Absolute Resolve” last January. U.S. forces entered Venezuela and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Madura. The Venezuelan strongman was indicted on U.S. federal charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and other federal charges.

Paul Davis’s On Crime column appears here each week. He is also a contributor to Counterterrorism magazine. He can be reached via pauldavisoncrime.com.