Cash In Carry-Ons: U.S. Hits Airline Smuggling Ring Funneling Millions To Hizballah

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions Thursday against 10 individuals accused of operating an international cash-smuggling ring that moved hundreds of millions of dollars to Hizballah via commercial airline flights.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said the network relied on couriers flying routes across Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. The operation was designed to funnel foreign currency directly to the Lebanese militant group while bypassing international banking controls and sanctions.

Alongside the individual designations, the Treasury re-designated Hizballah under counterterrorism authorities, citing its command structure under Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).

According to federal officials, the courier operation was run by Turkish businessman Yunus Alper Yilmaz. U.S. authorities stated that Yilmaz used currency exchange houses in Turkey as front companies and maintained bank accounts to facilitate transfers tied to the IRGC-QF. The ring was previously linked to Behnam Shahriyari, a deceased IRGC-QF finance official.

Treasury named two associates, Halil Ibrahim Kacmaz and Onder Dede, who collected cash directly from Turkish exchange houses. Vasfi Akyuz handled logistics for the travel operations while also acting as a courier. Six other individuals—Mehmet Akyuz, Mehmet Acur, Feyyad Karasalih, Masoud Mousafar, Gulay Kaya Savci, and Emrah Ayaz—were identified as couriers who transported cash on passenger flights into Lebanon.

Under the sanctions, all U.S.-based property, bank accounts, and financial interests belonging to the 10 individuals are frozen. Any business entities owned 50 percent or more by the targeted individuals face the same restrictions.

The action also prohibits U.S. citizens and institutions from engaging in financial transactions with any of the named individuals. Treasury warned that foreign banks risking involvement with the network could face secondary sanctions, including the loss of correspondent accounts in the United States.