by Matthew Holloway | Sep 8, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
An Arizona congressman is warning constituents about the Chinese Communist Party’s close ties with Mexican drug cartels.
Congressman Abe Hamadeh, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, shared an article on X about the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) discovery of Chinese networks laundering billions of dollars for Mexican drug cartels through American financial institutions.
In his post, Hamadeh explained, “The Treasury’s FinCEN discovered that Chinese networks have been using our country to launder billions of dollars for the Mexican cartels. This is only part of a continued & concerted effort from a hostile CCP regime to undermine America’s public safety.”
According to The Center Square, in a report from FinCEN, the Treasury Department analyzed 137,153 Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) reports totaling approximately $312 billion in suspicious activity from 2020 to 2024 that “sheds light on how [Chinese money laundering networks (CMLN),] launder illicit proceeds from criminal activities, including drug trafficking, and how CMLNs launder money on a global scale.”
The report revealed several alarming findings regarding CMLNs, describing a complex web of dirty money connecting ubiquitous real estate transactions throughout the United States to human trafficking over the Mexican border, and even assisted living facilities in New York.
“Ultimately, Chinese citizens’ demand for large quantities of U.S. dollars and the cartels’ need to launder their illicit U.S. dollar proceeds has resulted in a mutualistic relationship wherein the cartels sell off their illicitly obtained U.S. dollars to CMLNs who, in turn, sell the U.S. dollars to Chinese citizens seeking to evade China’s currency control laws,” the report explained.
According to the report, “The PRC maintains strict currency controls, also known as capital flight restrictions, which limit the amount of money Chinese citizens can transfer abroad each year to 50,000 USD for investment and financial purposes.”
To bypass these restrictions, many Chinese nationals turn to this underground banking system or ‘CUBS.’ Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley told The Center Square, “Money laundering networks linked to individual passport holders from the People’s Republic of China enable cartels to poison Americans with fentanyl, conduct human trafficking, and wreak havoc among communities across our great nation.”
The report found, “Many Chinese citizens have turned to alternative methods, like the Chinese underground banking system (CUBS), to bypass these restrictions. The CUBS consists of various individuals and businesses from different industries who collaborate through ‘mirror transfers’ to move money across borders, as part of informal value transfer system schemes. The CUBS, in turn, depend on CMLNs to secure foreign currency.”
FinCEN summarized that in just the past five years, it has recorded a significant increase in the money laundering schemes at play between CMLNs and Mexican Drug Cartels, with the agents “gain(ing) prominence among global money laundering groups due to their reliability, low fees, organizational structure, worldwide presence, and access to the U.S. financial system.” It also shared that that this massive financial windfall for bad actors in China are directly to tied to operations that “launder illicit proceeds from otherwise unrelated criminal networks involved in a range of illicit activities, including fraud schemes; human trafficking and smuggling; marijuana grow house operations; and tax evasion, by facilitating the exchange of cash proceeds.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 8, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) has been sworn in along with his fellow freshmen members of the U.S. House of Representatives. But before even taking the oath of office, Hamadeh garnered recognition as one of the “rising stars” in American policitcs “expected to emerge in 2025.”
In a report released on the last day of 2024, Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller pronounced Hamadeh as a rising star alongside fellow Republicans Vice President-elect JD Vance, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, and Vivek Ramaswamy. He also gave the same recogniation to Democrats like Governors Gavin Newsom of California, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Wes Moore of Maryland, along with Rep. Pat Ryan of New York and Senator Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland.
Hamadeh, a 33-year-old son of Syrian immigrants, retired Army Reserve Captain & Intelligence Officer, and former Maricopa County Prosecutor enjoyed a massive resurgence in Arizona politics after a razor thin-280 vote defeat in the 2022 race for state Attorney General, a result mired in controversy and serious allegations of disenfranchisement and mismanagement.
He arose victorious in a raucous 8-way primary challenge for the District 8 Congressional seat that saw an unprecedented double-endorsement by President-elect Donald Trump, who supported both Hamadeh and runner-up Blake Masters.
In the end, Hamadeh outperformed the rest of the AZGOP candidates on his way to soundly defeating his Democrat opponent Gregory Whitten in the November General Election.
In a statement about his powerful committee assignments, Hamadeh told Fox News Digital, “I am honored to serve on the Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees—two assignments I intentionally sought because our veterans and military deserve leaders who will fight for them. Putting America first starts with defending our homeland and honoring our veterans and their families.”
“Throughout my campaign, I made a promise to bring veterans’ issues to the forefront of our national priorities, and today, I am proud to fulfill that promise,” he added. “This is a ‘promises made, promises kept’ moment as I lead the charge to honor our military leaders, support those who have served our nation, and ensure our veterans receive the care and respect they’ve earned. Serving those who served us is not just my duty—it’s a privilege.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Dec 18, 2024 | News
Matthew Holloway |
Republican Congressman-elect Abe Hamadeh shared an announcement on Monday that he will serve on two of the House of Representative’s most military-centric committees: the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. These appointments will essentially allow the retired Army Reserve Captain & Intelligence Officer to act on matters impacting service members at all stages of their careers—from new recruits to retired veterans.
In a post to X, Hamadeh wrote, “Proud to join my colleagues on the House Committee on Armed Services and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Together with President Trump we will make our warfighters the most powerful force and treat our veterans with the respect they’ve earned.”
According to Politico’s Connor O’Brien, alongside Hamadeh, the House GOP Steering Committee selected seven new members for the Armed Services Committee including Reps. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Mark Messmer (R-IN), John McGuire (R-VA), Derek Schmidt (R-KS), Pat Harrigan (R-NC), and Jeff Crank (R-CO).
Responding to the announcement, Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers wrote, “These are the TWO BEST COMMITTEES for Abe to do Arizona and our country GOOD!”
Two days before, Hamadeh congratulated President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Allen Grenell in a post to X writing, “Congratulations to @RichardGrenell, President Trump’s Envoy for Special Missions! Ric has been a loyal supporter and fighter for President Trump and will lead the America First agenda around the world.” The congressman’s new committee roles could result in significant overlap and coordination with Grenell.
Hamadeh, the son of Syrian immigrants, commented on the recent collapse of Bashar Al Assad’s government advising that as the Trump administration considers multi-lateral responses to the successful rebellion, the Turkish government must step up.
He told Fox News, “As we evaluate Turkey’s recent airstrikes on Syrian Kurds and reports of Hamas operatives in Turkey, it’s clear that our alliances must be anchored in mutual respect and shared goals. For decades, Turkey has been a strategic partner, but hosting groups like Hamas without clear steps toward dismantling their operations undermines that relationship. Turkey must seize this opportunity to demonstrate it is committed to fighting terror, not enabling it.”
In an interview with James T. Harris on 550 KFYI, he observed the potential for normalization of relations between the new Syria and Israel after decades of war. “Some people in the Syrian opposition say that they want to normalize relations with Israel. Now if that’s the case, that is going to be a huge seismic shift to have a country that has been at war with Israel for so long normalize ties with Israel,“ he told Harris.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
