Hello Saturday! It’s February 7, and we’re tracking top stories to take you through the weekend: Hezbollah accepts resignation of senior security official Wafiq Safa amid restructuring, Ex-Bank of America employee pleads guilty in money laundering, 11 charged in "marriage fraud" scheme for paying U.S. service members to wed Chinese nationals, Mexican cartels overpower police with ammunition made for the US military, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

Hezbollah accepts resignation of senior security official Wafiq Safa amid restructuring. In 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department targeted Safa and two Hezbollah legislators with sanctions. AP

🔥 TOP STORIES

Ex-Bank of America employee pleads guilty in money laundering Banking Dive

11 charged in "marriage fraud" scheme for paying U.S. service members to wed Chinese nationals CBS News

Mexican cartels overpower police with ammunition made for the US military ICIJ

EU targets Russian energy, banks, goods and services in latest sanctions package Politico

Should Western Tech Giants Partner With Pro-Hamas Network Al Jazeera? The Cipher Brief

Maduro’s alleged frontman Alex Saab reportedly detained in Caracas The Guardian

UK threatens to seize Russia-linked shadow fleet tanker in escalatory move The Guardian

US announces new sanctions on Iranian oil network amid nuclear talks Politico

Europe's anti-money laundering body set to be fully operational in 2028 Reuters

Researchers uncover vast cyberespionage operation targeting dozens of governments worldwide The Record

Trump’s family is embroiled in a $500m UAE scandal. We’ve hardly noticed. The Guardian

Tether helps Turkey seize $544M in crypto tied to illegal betting network Cointelegraph

Tether invests $100 million in U.S. crypto bank Anchorage, valued at $4.2 billion CoinDesk

Justice Department steps up pressure on cartels' financial networks as launderers turn to crypto ABC News

Scammers' abandoned compound exposes brutality and banality of fraud Reuters

Deepfake fraud taking place on an industrial scale The Guardian

CA human trafficking crackdown leads to 600 arrests and 170 victims rescued, including children ABC News

Italy police search House of Doge-owned soccer club in money laundering probe Reuters

US to allow aid to North Korea to resume, while outreach stalls Wall Street Journal

Treasury Issues Request for Information on CFIUS Known Investor Program U.S. Department of the Treasury

🚀 SANCTIONS

Yacht Havers Are Losing Access to Teak Because it Funded Myanmar’s Junta Gizmodo

Iran, protests, and sanctions NPR

A Trump Deal With Iran May Hinge on the Number Zero The New York Times

Stiffening European sanctions against the Russian oil trade Brookings

Kyrgyzstan May Be First State Targeted Under EU Anti Circumvention Rules RFE/RL

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

China Formalizes Ban on Yuan Stablecoins, RWA Tokenization Decrypt

Hainan official who played key role building South China Sea reefs faces corruption probe South China Morning Post

Squeezed by U.S. and China, the World’s Middle Powers Are Teaming Up The Wall Street Journal

Waymo Renames Its New Driverless Cars To Scrub References to CCP-Linked Chinese Company That Makes Them Free Beacon

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Secretive Firms From U.K. to Singapore Win $200M in Tenders From Uzbek State Giant OCCRP

SBA freezes over 100,000 California borrowers in sweeping $9B pandemic fraud crackdown Fox News

How We Tracked a 'Fake Prince' Scammer to His Nigerian Mansion OCCRP

Epstein network included Russian tech investors with past kremlin ties The Washington Post

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s stake in Kashi opens new door to potential sports corruption NBC Sports

Epstein affair: Former Norwegian prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland under investigation for corruption Le Monde

Former Nigerian oil minister stands trial in the UK on bribery charges ICIJ

Ex-premier and two others guilty in Turks and Caicos landmark corruption trial Miami Herald

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Taiwanese national sentenced to 30 years for running darknet Incognito Market The Record

South Korean Crypto Exchange Accidentally Gave Away $95B in Bitcoin Decrypt

149 million passwords exposed in massive credential leak Fox News

Malicious packages for dYdX cryptocurrency exchange empties user wallets Ars Technica

764 member arrested, charged with CSAM possession in New York CyberScoop

U.S. seeks to extradite Saskatoon man accused of hacking educational systems to mine crypto CBC

Jaguar Land Rover losses deepen after crippling cyberattack The Independent

💥 TERROR

Suicide bomber kills dozens in Pakistan mosque CNN

Palestinian Authority To Pay $315 Million to Terrorists and Their Families Across Middle East in 2026 Free Beacon

U.S. moving 7,000 ISIS suspects from Syria to Iraq amid concerns over security and due legal process CBS News

FBI arrests ‘key participant’ behind Benghazi attack CNN

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Toronto Police Officers Are Charged in Sweeping Drug and Corruption Case BBC

Defendant Pleads Guilty for His Role in International Human and Drug Smuggling Conspiracy DOJ

DHS tallies all the criminal migrants California let go from prisons, jails since Trump took office The Washington Times

Members of Tacoma Street Gang are Indicted for Drug and Gun Trafficking DEA

Nonprofit fundraiser sentenced to prison for laundering fentanyl money Boston Herald

Have a great weekend!

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