Merry Christmas! It’s December 25, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: Hezbollah Turns to Drug Trafficking in Venezuela To Fill Its Coffers, How an Elusive Banker Kept North Korea’s Dirty Money Flowing, China Expands Digital Yuan Push to Singapore and Asean Trade Routes, Chinese Crypto Scammers on Telegram Are Fueling the Biggest Darknet Markets Ever, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

Hezbollah, Short on Support From Iran, Turns to Drug Trafficking in Venezuela To Fill Its Coffers. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last week condemned the US's seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, but Iran's interests in Latin America stretch beyond the oil trade. Free Beacon

🔥 TOP STORIES

How an Elusive Banker Kept North Korea’s Dirty Money Flowing WSJ

China expands digital yuan push to Singapore and Asean trade routes SCMP

Chinese Crypto Scammers on Telegram Are Fueling the Biggest Darknet Markets Ever Wired

SEC Files Charges Over $14 Million Crypto Scam Using Fake AI-Themed Investment Tips Hacker News

Trump bars 5 prominent Europeans from the U.S. Fortune

ICE arrests 100+ illegal alien truckers in major sweep after deadly crashes across multiple states Fox News

For Fallen Syrian Dictator Assad and Family, an Exile of Luxury and Impunity NYT

Trump Envoy Used Weight-Loss Drug to Strike Deal With Dictator Daily Beast

4 indicted in foiled New Year's Eve terror bombing plot targeting Southern California businesses Fox News

North Korean agents are trying to infiltrate Amazon NBC News

Trial of ex-New York governors' aide accused of selling influence to China ends with hung jury AP

FinCEN Announces Data-Driven Border Operation to Address Potential Money Laundering U.S. Treasury

US disrupts multimillion-dollar bank account takeover operation targeting Americans The Record

US insurance giant Aflac says hackers stole personal and health data of 22.6 million people TechCrunch

Thailand, Attacking Cambodia, Says Its Target Is the Scam Industry NYT

Foreign Workers, Local Sponsors: Inside Palau's Hotel Scam Centers OCCRP

💥 SANCTIONS

Indian company resumes buying discounted Russian oil Bloomberg

Iran refuses inspection of nuclear sites until IAEA provides new guidelines after bombing CNN

Venezuela seeks to criminalize oil tanker seizures as Trump puts pressure on Maduro AP

📌 TERROR

What is the status of Islamic State, the group linked to the Bondi attacks? Guardian

Neo-Nazi terror group steps up US operations as FBI pulls back Guardian

How gun plot targeting Jewish community was stopped BBC

The Muslim Brotherhood and the Limits of Terrorist Designations War on the Rocks

UK police arrest Greta Thunberg under Terrorism Act DW

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Nuclear Firm Working With Chinese Military Companies Pushes for $900M U.S. Uranium Contract Free Beacon

FCC’s import ban on the best new drones starts today Ars

Russia Sees Wave of Criminal Cases Over Defense Contract Failures Moscow Times

China’s Xiaomi rejects claims of military ties after US lawmakers’ appeal to Pentagon SCMP

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

GOP lawmaker unveils WALZ Act after billions lost in Minnesota fraud scandal Fox News

A drug cartel and a murdered witness: South Africa's police corruption probe BBC

Medicaid paid more than $207 million for dead people. A new law could help fix that. AP

Colorado man extradited from UK to New York to face Ponzi scheme allegations AP

Saks Clients Complained About Stylist Long Before He Was Accused of $400,000 Scam WSJ

How Criminal Networks Launder Money Out of the United States Small Wars Journal

Congo halts artisanal copper and cobalt processing amid corruption crackdown Reuters

Heirs Of Late Billionaire Will Pay $750 Million In Largest Tax Fraud Case In U.S. History Forbes

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

California crypto company accused of illegally inflating Katy Perry NFTs and fraud Los Angeles Times

France probes cyberattack on postal service claimed by pro-Russian hackers AFP

CEO of South Philadelphia Bitcoin mining company defrauded investors out of $49 million The Inquirer

Fake listings and phishing emails: How travelers have lost hundreds to Booking.com scams Euronews

Polymarket cites third-party vulnerability in recent user account hack The Block

Nomani Investment Scam Surges 62% Using AI Deepfake Ads on Social Media Hacker News

INTERPOL Arrests 574 in Africa Hacker News

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Cocaine kingpin who fled to Thailand is jailed BBC

Chinese National Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking Reptiles DOJ

Ontario lawyer linked to alleged Ryan Wedding drug ring granted bail for $5M CBC

Georgia Detains Ex-Security Chief Over Alleged Bribes Tied to Global Scam Call Centers OCCRP

UN Says Assad’s Fall Disrupted Syria’s Captagon Production OCCRP

MS-13 gang member sentenced to 1,335 years in prison CBS News

‘Money mule’ cases surge as criminals target young people on social media Guardian

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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