US officials allege that Hezbollah maintains operational networks in Venezuela, a relationship that reportedly began during Hugo Chávez's presidency and deepened under Nicolás Maduro. According to the Financial Times, this connection was fostered by shared isolation from the US-led financial system, leading to cooperation in money laundering, drug trafficking, and document fraud. While Caracas and Hezbollah deny these allegations, US investigations like 'Project Cassandra' have pointed to overlapping networks operating with official cover, driven by mutual necessity due to sanctions.