Council of Europe Warns of Surge in Trafficking for Forced Criminality
Human trafficking for the purpose of forcing victims to commit crimes is rising across Europe and demands urgent government action to protect victims and prevent their prosecution, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings said Friday in its 15th annual report.
Crime Groups Now Have Hands on Every Part of Global Gold Supply Chain
Criminal syndicates have embedded themselves so deeply in the global gold supply chain that the regulatory frameworks designed to contain them are fundamentally inadequate, according to a new report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC).
Four Nations Impose Sanctions over West Bank Settler Violence
Britain, Canada, France, and Norway on Tuesday announced coordinated sanctions targeting Israeli networks accused of financing, enabling, and carrying out violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Santander Banker Arrested in Takedown of $85mn Money-Laundering Ring
An employee of Banco Santander’s Chile unit was among 18 suspects detained Tuesday as Chilean authorities moved against an alleged $85-million money-laundering network tied to the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua.
U.S. Extends ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization’ Sanctions to Brazil’s Gangs
The Trump administration will designate Brazil’s two largest criminal gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations effective this June, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Thursday.
U.S. Fuel Trader Under Investigation for Suspected Ties to Cartel Smuggling
A Houston-based petroleum trader raided last month by U.S. federal agents is under investigation in Mexico in connection with a suspected fuel smuggling scheme linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Major Crypto Firms Worked with Bitcoin ATM Operators Tied to Scams
Mainstream cryptocurrency companies including Kraken, Gemini, and Cumberland DRW transferred billions of dollars in bitcoin to ATM operators that authorities have repeatedly accused of facilitating scams targeting elderly and vulnerable Americans.
New Dutch Study Warns Organized Crime Is Infiltrating Society
The Netherlands faces a growing threat from organized crime that is silently corroding state institutions, public services, and democratic governance, according to a new threat assessment published Tuesday by the Strategic Knowledge Centre on Undermining Criminality (SKC).
How Criminals Their Changed Tactics in Response to EU’s Anti-Mafia Rules
Local governments in southern Italy that colluded with organized crime deliberately avoided large EU-funded projects to stay below anti-mafia certification thresholds, according to new academic research.
Baltic FIUs Warn Client Migration Concentrated AML Risks at Single Digital Bank
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have jointly concluded that deliberate de-risking campaigns by traditional Baltic banks have driven large-scale client migration toward Lithuanian fintech firms, concentrating money laundering risk in a single digital institution.