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Dollar Death, Spies for Hire, and China’s Arsenal

Illicit Edge - Edition for April 9, 2025

Greetings! It’s April 9, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: How Trump could dethrone the dollar, Putin’s spies for hire, China’s trade war arsenal, DOJ busts $500 million in cocaine tied to cartels, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

How Trump Could Dethrone the Dollar. The World’s Reserve Currency May Not Survive the Weaponization of U.S. Economic Power. Foreign Affairs

🔥 TOP STORIES

Putin’s Spies for Hire WOTR

China Has Readied a Trade-War Arsenal That Takes Aim at U.S. Companies WSJ 

🎙️Corporate America’s China Challenge Coercive Capital 

DOJ, Coast Guard bust $500 million in cocaine tied to cartels ABC

Treasury Targets Key Leader of Violent Mexican Drug Trafficking Organization Implicated in Record-Breaking Seizure of Fentanyl U.S. Treasury

🎙️Networks that Fuel the Fentanyl Crisis Coercive Capital

Treasury hits Iran with new sanctions targeting its nuclear program ahead of talks AP 

Leaked Letters Give Insight Into AML Gaps at Swiss Bank Reyl OCCRP

🎙️The TD Bank Disaster and How to Fix It Designated 

US may fine TSMC $1B over chip used in Huawei AI processor TC

The FBI Hijacked and Ran a Dark Web Money Laundering Operation Called ‘ElonmuskWHM’ Gizmodo 

Sanctions as a Tool of Economic Statecraft: Designing, Integrating, and Implementing to Advance Vital Interests Hoover

🎙️Sanctions Warfare in the Trump Administration Designated

IN THE NEWS

💥 RUSSIA & CHINA

China is beating U.S. in biotech advances Axios

Former Russian minister found guilty of breaching UK sanctions Guardian

US bill creates fund to enforce oil sanctions on Russia's ghost fleet Reuters

China slaps restrictions on 18 US firms over Trump tariffs Reuters

US sanctions hit Serbian oil firm NIS' operations despite waivers Reuters 

Syria’s New President Has Russian Family Ties MT

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Dutch Rabobank to face court case over failure to stop money laundering Reuters 

Al Qaeda Punctures Kenya’s Dreams for an Indian Ocean Trade Hub WSJ 

Trump Freezes $2.7B in ‘Digital Equity’ Grants Free Press

Biden Quietly Waived 'Buy America' Rules on $7B Solar Program Free Beacon 

SUNY professor took bribes in seedy cash-to-pass scheme NYP

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Justice Department will disband its crypto-related enforcement team AP 

Former Ethereum Foundation developer Virgil Griffith released from prison Block

U.S. financial regulator says email hack exposed sensitive data on banks CNBC 

How firing the NSA leader could lead to Cyber Command's split Axios 

Court document reveals locations of WhatsApp victims targeted by NSO spyware TC

🚚 TRAFFICKING

ICE director wants to run deportations like ‘Amazon Prime for human beings’ Guardian

FinCEN Convenes FinCEN Exchange Sessions to Provide Stakeholders with Information About U.S. Southwest Border GTO FinCEN 

IRS reaches data-sharing deal with DHS to help find immigrants for deportation CNN

‘A moral stain’: Global Commission delivers new report calling to eradicate modern slavery by 2030 CNN

“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.” —Thomas Paine

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