DOJ Quietly Drops Claim Maduro-Led ‘Terrorist’ Group Exists
Amid all of the spectacle that has come with the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, federal prosecutors have quietly amended a key claim they leveled against the South American leader last year. They no longer assert that the drug-trafficking organization he allegedly led—“Cartel de los Soles”—really exists.
U.S. to Designate Venezuelan Government as Terror Group, Blockade Sanctioned Oil Tankers
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed to designate Venezuela’s government a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” (FTO) and ordered a “total and complete” blockade of sanctioned oil tankers moving into and out of the country.
In U.S. Migrant Crackdown, a Renewed Focus on Cross-Border Remittances
The United States is tightening its oversight of the tens of billions of dollars resident and undocumented migrants send home each year through Western Union, MoneyGram, and other money services businesses (MSBs), according to a recent U.S. Treasury Department warning.
Mexico Freezes Funds of Miss Universe Co-Owner in Organized-Crime Probe
Mexico’s anti-money laundering unit has frozen the bank accounts of Raúl Rocha Cantú, the Mexican co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, as authorities investigate alleged links to drug, fuel and arms trafficking, the Associated Press reported.
Fugitive Ex-Wirecard Exec Jan Marsalek Tied to Multibillion-Dollar Laundering Ring
Fugitive former Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek has been linked to a sprawling, multibillion-dollar money laundering network that British investigators say connects street-level drug dealers in the UK to sanctioned Russian oligarchs and the Kremlin’s security services, the Financial Times reported.
Wildlife Trafficking’s Ties to Guns, Drugs and Human Smuggling
Wildlife traffickers are funneling dirty money through the same financial pipelines used for such illicit activity as human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and the illegal sale of weapons around the world, according to new University of Waterloo research cited by CBC News.
Albanian Organized Crime Seen as Growing Threat in Europe
Albanian organized crime groups have tightened their grip at home and expanded across Europe while drawing minimal pushback from Brussels, according to a Follow the Money investigation conducted with media partner BLAST.
U.S. Sanctions Mexico-Based Human Smuggling Network
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday blacklisted a Mexican human-smuggling ring, imposing sanctions against four individuals and 16 companies it says helped illegally migrate to the United States. The Cancun-based Bhardwaj Human Smuggling Organization has illicitly transported thousands of people from Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia […]
Growing Mafia Power Puts Belgium at Risk of Becoming ‘Narco-State’: Judge
Belgium is in danger of evolving into a “narco-state” as organized crime penetrates key institutions and exploits Antwerp’s giant port to smuggle cocaine into Europe, an investigating judge warned in an open letter cited by the Financial Times.
U.S. Sanctions Colombia’s President, Alleging Aid to Drug Traffickers
The U.S. Treasury Department designated Colombian President Gustavo Petro and several of his family members and associates, alleging his policies have fueled record cocaine production and benefited narco-traffickers.