Drug Cartels are Changing Tactics and Routes in Response to U.S. Crackdown
South American governments are deploying soldiers, drones, sniffer dogs, artificial intelligence, and expanded port surveillance to try to stem a record flow of cocaine, but the crackdown is having little impact as traffickers change up routes and tactics.
A Powerful Opioid Made in India is Flooding into West Africa Illegally
Indian companies shipped more than 320 million tapentadol pills to West Africa over the past three years, even though the synthetic opioid has not been approved by regulators in most countries in the region, according to a Bellingcat investigation.
IMF Calls for Stronger Interbank Data-Sharing to Combat Rising Digital Fraud
The International Monetary Fund has urged banks to share more threat and transaction data with one another, arguing in a recent working paper that the sector’s response to fast-rising digital fraud is weakened by information silos within institutions and across borders.
Wife of Spanish PM to Stand Trial for Alleged Corruption, Embezzlement
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is facing renewed political pressure after a judge ordered his wife, Begoña Gómez, to stand trial, deepening a corruption controversy that already involves several of his relatives and close associates.
NCA Charges British Shipping Financier over Alleged Sanctions Violations
Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has charged shipping financier John Michael Ormerod with alleged money laundering and breaches of Russia sanctions.
For Insurers, Phony Claims Now Come with AI-Altered Photos
Fraud appears to be worsening in the UK’s insurance sector, driven in large part by the submission of phony claims backed by AI-altered images.
Congolese Rapper Gims Linked to International Money-Laundering Ring
New details about the allegations against the rapper Gims have emerged after French authorities charged the Congolese music star with money laundering linked to millions of euros in suspicious transactions.
Trump Administration Levies ‘Economic Fury’ Sanctions on Iran
The U.S. Treasury imposed a fresh round of Iran-related sanctions on Wednesday, targeting what it described as the illicit oil-shipping empire of Iranian magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani and a Hezbollah-linked oil-for-gold laundering network tied to Venezuela.
Telegram Hosts a Sanctioned Marketplace Tied to Child Sex Trafficking, Forced Labor
Telegram is still hosting Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese-language black market that British officials have levied sanctions on and accused of facilitating crypto scams and human trafficking.
SantaCon Organizer Faces Fraud Charges over Theft Allegations
The organizer of New York City’s annual SantaCon bar crawl was arrested on wire-fraud charges on Wednesday after federal prosecutors alleged he diverted money that was supposed to go to charity and used it instead for personal expenses.