Ed Royce: “I want to thank my good friend from Virginia, Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte, his Ranking Member, Mr. Conyers, and the…”

“I want to thank my good friend from Virginia, Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte, his Ranking Member, Mr. Conyers, and the gentleman and gentlelady from New York--Mr. Katko and Miss Rice--for their work on H.R. 4985, the Kingpin Designation Improvement Act, which deserves our support. In the context of today's floor debate, it is important that we discuss the extensive role of Iran's primary regional proxy-- Hezbollah--in the international drug trade. Earlier this year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced that they have, in cooperation with law enforcement agencies from 7 other nations, disrupted a global criminal enterprise Hezbollah was using to finance its participation in the Syrian conflict, as well as to plan for a future war with Israel. Unfortunately, this is nothing new. For years, Hezbollah has had business connections with South American drug cartels, and has been using them to enter the narcotics trafficking business. In 2011 and 2013, the Department of the Treasury and other agencies designated core Hezbollah members and affiliates for engaging in international narcotics networks. As a result, the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015, which I authored and passed into law in December, required specific Administration reporting on Hezbollah's international narcotics trafficking networks. Unfortunately, once a terrorist organization enters this business, they seldom leave.…”