Happy Monday!  Illicit Edge is back from break, and we’re tracking top stories to start your week: Sanctions expansion threatens financial system schism, DPRK hackers sent stolen crypto to Asian payment firm, a globally integrated Islamic State, Trump classified documents case dismissed, and much more... 

Featured Story

🌎 Sanctions and the Next Financial Crisis. Pressure on Western banks to implement sanctions against Russia threatens a schism in the international financial system. RUSI

🚩 Yandex Founder Volozh to Return as CEO After Sanctions Dropped Bloomberg

Top Stories

🌎 North Korean hackers sent stolen crypto to wallet used by Asian payment firm. A major Cambodian payments firm received crypto from hacking outfit Lazarus. Reuters

🚩 Lazarus is moving millions from $305M DMM Bitcoin hack Cointelegraph

🌎 Globally Integrated Islamic State. The Islamic State today looks different than it did five years ago and is far more integrated amongst its global network than al-Qaeda ever was. WOTR

🌎 Trump classified documents case dismissed. A federal judge in Florida says the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith violated the U.S. Constitution. CNBC

🌎 Iraq in Talks With U.S. Treasury Over Banks, Dollar Restriction. Iranian businesses have long used banks in neighboring Iraq to access the greenback and get around sanctions. Bloomberg

🌎 America’s front line against fentanyl is a Golden Retriever named Goose. Dogs contend with exhaust fumes, hot pavement, and unpredictable workdays that can go from routine to tense in seconds. Reuters

🚩 Colombia Faces a New Problem: Too Much Cocaine NYT

🌎 AT&T’s massive data breach deepens crisis for Snowflake seven weeks after hack disclosed. Snowflake has enlisted CrowdStrike and Mandiant to help investigate. CNBC

🌎 From Rust to Riches: Venezuela’s Sanctions Evasion Strategy. Scrap metal exports have proven a valuable source of dollars for the heavily sanctioned Maduro regime. National Interest

🚩 U.S. Imposes Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Chemical Weapons Research and Development. U.S. State Dept

IN THE NEWS

Russia

🇷🇺 ECB has gone too far in pushing UniCredit to quit Russia Reuters

🇷🇺 Australia refuses to match allies sanctioning China over Russia support SMH

🇷🇺 Finland’s once-brisk China ties rattled as Russia sanctions fracture trade links SCMP

🇷🇺 Europe’s Russia Sanction Regime Cracks CEPA

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China

🇨🇳 U.S. Places Visa Curbs on Some Chinese Officials for Alleged Abuse Bloomberg

🇨🇳 Canada Said to Have Mapped Out Secret Chinese Police Operations Bloomberg

🇨🇳 Philippine Senate orders arrest of mayor probed for alleged Chinese crime ties Reuters

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Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 Ex-employee of businessman linked to $3B money laundering case exposes boss’ excesses Straits Times

💸 Thai regulator accuses Energy Absolute CEO and deputy of fraud Bangkok Post

💸 Columbia U. Partners With Anti-Semitic Nonprofit That Endorsed Oct. 7 Terror Attack Free Beacon

💸 NRA corruption trial to enter second phase Hill

💸 German bank regulator threatens Solaris with fines for AML controls Reuters

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Crypto & Cyber

🔐 How Crypto ATMs in the U.S. Became A Favorite Tool for Scammers OCCRP

🔐 10,000 Victims a Day: Infostealer Garden of Low-Hanging Fruit Hacker News

🔐 OpenAI illegally barred staff from airing safety risks, whistleblowers say WaPo

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Trafficking

🚚 As cartels take a stake in ‘green gold,’ US and Mexico rethink how avocados reach American kitchens CNN

🚚 Instagram influencer jailed for trafficking and slavery BBC

🚚 Libyan orders arrest of airline official over transport of migrants to Nicaragua Reuters

"In a war of ideas, it is people who get killed."
--Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

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