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Happy Friday!  It’s April 12, and we’re tracking top stories to take you into the weekend: Biden surpasses Trump's record for blacklisting Chinese companies, Russian oil trapped on tankers hit by new Iran sanctions, Morgan Stanley's wealth arm probed by regulators, U.S. and Venezuela secretly meet in Mexico, several new industry reports, and much more...

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Featured Story

🎯 Biden Surpasses Trump’s Record for Blacklisting Chinese Entities. The Commerce Department added six Chinese companies to its entity list on Thursday, bringing the tally of new targets to 319. Bloomberg 

Top Stories

🌎 Russian oil trapped on tankers hit by new Iran-related sanctions. The development shows how Moscow and Tehran have boosted cooperation in the face of sanctions and how the West is trying to respond. Reuters

🌎 Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Arm Probed by Multiple Federal Regulators. The main issues boil down to whether Morgan Stanley is sufficiently investigating the identities of prospective clients and where their wealth comes from. WSJ

🌎 US and Venezuela Secretly Meet in Mexico as Oil Sanctions Deadline Nears. Maduro has been testing the limits of a US-backed agreement with the opposition last year. Bloomberg

🚩 Disgraced Venezuela official once close to Maduro ran drug trade, kept ties with Hezbollah Miami Herald

🌎 US Sanctions Office Probes Companies Over Chips in Russia’s War. The US and EU are increasingly focused on Russia’s use of foreign components to produce weapons for its war machine. Bloomberg

🌎 France talks tough on Ukraine while gobbling up more Russian gas. France has paid Russia over €600M this year for liquefied natural gas. That’s an EU-leading rise from last year. Politico

🚩 Germany set to permanently pay for reliance on Russian gas Fortune

🌎 A narco revolt takes a once-peaceful nation to the brink. How Ecuador’s powerful gangs seized a TV station, pushed the country into chaos and led a young president to declare war. WaPo

🌎 Turkey seizes 608kg of cocaine as ‘drug corridor’ fears grow. Groups monitoring organized crime warn that Turkey is becoming entry point for drugs reaching Europe. AP

🌎 US Sanctions Target Hamas Spokesperson, Drone Program Leaders. OFAC is taking action against Hamas leaders based in Gaza and Lebanon who oversee the cyber and UAV operations. Hill

🚩 EU sanctions Hamas wings over sexual violence on Oct. 7 Reuters

🌎 Man on terror watchlist was released by Border Patrol. The case illustrates the challenges U.S. officials face in identifying migrants who may pose national security threats. NBC 

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IN THE NEWS

Russia

🇷🇺 Swiss Head for Neutrality Vote After Adopting Russia Sanctions Swissinfo

🇷🇺 Antwerp World Diamond Centre CEO resigns amid Russia diamond sanctions Reuters

🇷🇺 Poland investigating if Orlen unit breached oil sanctions Reuters

🇷🇺 Belgium launches probe into suspected Russian interference in upcoming EU elections AP

Much more news at Illicit Edge!

China

🇨🇳 China is planning to ‘rip and replace’ Intel and AMD chips Verge

🇨🇳 Fraud victims want China to recover $4.3B worth of Bitcoin seized by UK police Cointelegraph

🇨🇳 Eric Schmidt Warned Against China’s AI Industry. Emails Show He Also Sought Connections to It. Wired

🇨🇳 Former China Everbright Group chairman charged with taking bribes Reuters

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Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 DOJ to probe private equity firms attempting to ‘game the system’ Fortune

💸 United Health Chair, Executives Sold $102M in Stock Before US Probe Became Public Bloomberg

💸 Australian stock market firm Prospero collapses amid alleged $200M scandal News Australia

💸 Signa’s Benko Faces Liechtenstein Fraud, Money-Laundering Probe Bloomberg

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Crypto & Cyber

🔐 Roku Says 576K Accounts Compromised in Data Breach Hollywood Reporter

🔐 Avi Eisenberg May Testify in $110M Crypto Fraud Trial, Defense Says CoinDesk

🔐 How China is Hacking America Newsweek

🔐 US says Russian hackers stole federal government emails during Microsoft cyberattack TechCrunch

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Trafficking

🚚 Brazil police crack down on US migration racket Reuters

🚚 Mexican drug gangs ‘increasingly targeting’ Australia as meth supplies overtake rivals CNN

🚚 Chile Arrests Dozens in Crackdown on Transnational Gang ‘Los Trinitarios’ OCCRP

🚚 Colombia police arrest 73-year-old American for giving "cannabis tours" in his home CBS

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Reports

📘 Standards and interoperability: The future of the global financial system Atlantic Council

📘 U.S. Foreign Extortion Prevention Act: New Tool in the Fight Against Global Corruption TI

📘 How We Uncovered the Modus Operandi of Criminals Smuggling Illegal Gold out of Venezuela Pulitzer Center

📘 Illicit Drugs Are Undermining Pacific Security USIP

📘 France Compliance Report: Preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments EU

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