Confessions of the "Al-Sharwa" Ship Crew Expose Iran's Transcontinental Smuggling Network Arming the Houthi Militia
**The Smuggling Network**
According to **video and audio-recorded confessions**, the network consists of **seven operatives**, four of whom received **direct training and supervision in Iran**:
1. **Amer Ahmed Yahya Masawi**
2. **Ali Ahmed Abdo Qusayr**
3. **Issa Ahmed Abdo Qusayr**
4. **Abdullah Mohammed Maqbool Afifi**
They participated in smuggling multiple shipments from **Bandar Abbas Port (Iran)** to **Al-Salif Port (Hodeidah, Yemen)**, including **high-risk chemical materials**, as well as operations involving an **Iranian "boat"** off the **Somali coast**.
The other three operatives—**Mohammed Abdo Talhi, Mohammed Suleiman Mazjaji, and Ashraf Bakri Ahmed Zain Abdullah**—were active in a **separate smuggling route via Djibouti**.
**Recruitment and Training**
The accused disclosed that the **Houthi militia recruited them**, exploiting their financial hardships. They were transported via **flights from Sana'a Airport to Jordan**, then to **Lebanon**, where **Hezbollah** facilitated their transfer to **Syria** and onward to **Tehran**. An **alternative route** passed through **Oman**.
In Iran, they underwent **training camps** supervised by IRGC commander **"Mohammed Jafar Al-Talabi"**, followed by deployment to smaller camps in **Bandar Abbas**.
**Three Smuggling Routes**
1. **Direct Route**: Bandar Abbas → Al-Salif Port (Yemen).
2. **Somali Route**: Using IRGC-operated boats near Somali waters.
3. **Commercial Cover Route**: Via Djibouti under the guise of trade.
**High-Tech Smuggling Tactics**
The crew admitted to smuggling **temperature-controlled refrigeration containers** carrying sensitive chemicals like **hydrazine and liquid nitrogen**. The **latest seized shipment** (their **12th operation**) was disguised as **industrial equipment** (generators, transformers, air pumps) but contained:
- **Dismantled missiles**
- **Drones**
- **Air defense systems**
- **Radars**
- **Strategic weapons falsely claimed by the Houthis as "locally produced"**
**Evading International Patrols**
The smugglers revealed that their ships **faced no interception by international naval patrols**, avoiding surveillance in the **Bab el-Mandeb Strait** by navigating **night routes west of the international corridor near Eritrean waters**.
**Houthi Commanders Named**
The confessions identified key Houthi leaders managing smuggling operations in Hodeidah:
- **Hussein Hamed Hamza Mohsen Al-Attas**
- **Mohammed Darham Qassim Al-Moayad** (aka "Ibrahim Al-Moayad")
- **Yahya Mohammed Hassan Qassim Al-Iraqi** (aka "Yahya Jinnah")
- **Faisal Ahmed Ghalib Al-Hamzi**
- Accomplices: **Iyad Mohammed Omar Maqbool Atini, Wael Mohammed Saeed Abdulwadoud, Omar Ahmed Omar Hajj**
**Mocking Houthi Claims**
In their final statements, the crew **mocked the Houthis' claims of "domestic military manufacturing"**, confirming that **all smuggled weapons originated directly from Iran or its proxies in Somalia and Djibouti**.
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