Russia’s Wagner Group is Finding New Recruits to Conduct Attacks in Europe
Recruiters and propagandists who previously worked for Russia’s Wagner Group have become a key channel for Kremlin-directed sabotage operations in Europe, the Financial Times reported.
Crypto’s Rising Role in Forced Labor, Sex Trafficking, and CSAM
Cryptocurrency flows to suspected human trafficking services surged 85% in 2025, reaching hundreds of millions of dollars across identified services.
How Dirty Crypto Gets Cleaned in a Gig Economy
Drug cartels and other criminal groups are increasingly using cryptocurrencies and a growing “gig” workforce of freelance brokers and couriers to launder cash and evade law enforcement, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.
MONEYVAL Outlines Challenges in Curtailing Criminal Misuse of Crypto
The Council of Europe’s anti-money-laundering body on Tuesday published a new report on how criminals exploit crypto-assets to launder illicit proceeds, fund terrorism, and evade sanctions.
Brazil Looks to Close Two Loopholes Used to Dodge Asset Freezes
Brazil’s Finance Ministry has urged the country’s central bank to tighten regulation around pooled and escrow accounts that authorities say are being used by bad actors to circumvent asset freezes, according to Reuters.
How Funny Money Helps Russia Skirt Western Sanctions
Fake banknotes resembling Monopoly money are being used to move rubles over borders as part of an effort to circumvent Western sanctions on the Russian Federation, according to new reporting by the Financial Times.
DOJ Turns Sights on Mexican Brokers and Crypto Networks Used to Launder Drug Money
The U.S. Justice Department is increasingly targeting corrupt Mexican money brokers in an attempt to disrupt the financial networks used to launder cartel drug proceeds via cryptocurrency and other means, the Associated Press reported.
Mexican Drug Traffickers’ Latest Illicit Good: Vape Pens
Mexico’s sweeping crackdown on electronic cigarettes is accelerating a shift in the country’s $1.5-billion vape-pen market toward organized crime, according to ABC News.
Chinese-Language Networks are Playing a Bigger Role in Crypto Crime
Chinese-language money laundering networks have become a central conduit for illicit cryptocurrency activity, processing an estimated 20% of known on-chain laundering over the past five years and accelerating far faster than illicit financial flows tied to centralized exchanges.
White House Designates Muslim Brotherhood Branches as Terrorism Groups
The Trump administration designated three Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, claiming the groups contribute to regional instability and violence.