Happy Monday! It’s February 23, and we’re tracking top stories to start the new week: Violence erupts in Mexico amid military operation that killed cartel leader, Sweden's FSA to probe Swedbank compliance with money laundering regulations, Romance fraud: warning over scam that turns victims into insurance cheats, How European Parts Are Enabling Russia's Winter Drone War, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

Violence erupts in Mexico amid military operation that killed cartel leader El Mencho. The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military — including on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. CBS News

🔥 TOP STORIES

Sweden's FSA to probe Swedbank compliance with money laundering regulations Reuters

Romance fraud: warning over scam that turns victims into insurance cheats The Guardian

Made in the EU, Dropped on Kyiv: How European Parts Are Enabling Russia's Winter Drone War OCCRP

Breaking China’s Hold on Critical Minerals Requires More than Tariffs National Interest

Sanctions: Puerto Vallarta-area timeshare was a cartel-run fraud engine, Treasury Department says CBS News

Qatar, Already the Largest Foreign Financier of US Universities, Tripled Its Funding in 2025 Washington Free Beacon

Treasury watchdog finds poor data practices in financial crimes unit FedScoop

IDFC First Bank probes suspected $65M fraud in accounts of government entities Reuters

Indonesian police probe $1.88 billion money laundering scheme linked to illegal gold mining The Straits Times

📘 Featured Report: Russia-linked cryptocurrency services and sanctions evasion Elliptic

The U.S. Is Hunting the Shadow Fleet. This Is What It's Up Against. WSJ

Pardoned Binance Founder Hobnobs With Trump Sons and Administration Officials at Mar-a-Lago Crypto Fest WSJ

Six More Defendants Charged in International "ATM Jackpotting" Scheme DOJ

Treasury Sanctions Sudanese Paramilitary Commanders for Atrocities in El-Fasher U.S. Treasury Department

U.S. Intelligence Says at Least 15,000 at Large After ISIS Detention Camp Collapses in Syria WSJ

Hamas is reasserting control in Gaza despite its heavy losses fighting Israel BBC News

Radical pro-North Korea nonprofit gaining foothold in U.S. NYP

High School Student Facing More Than 300 Felony Charges for Running a 'Sextortion' Scheme That Exploited Minors People

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Leaked Emails Reveal UAE Network Moving $90B in Russian Oil Amid Sanctions Crackdown United24

The Shadow Crypto Economy Feeding Russia’s War Machine RUSI

As Ukraine War Enters Fifth Year, Europe Faces Hard Truth On China Radio Free Europe

Moscow's De-Dollarization Dreams Meet Pragmatic Reality The Moscow Times

Love-struck suspected Moscow mole in NYC tells FBI agent, 'Catch me, baby' — only to land behind bars NYP

🚀 SANCTIONS

Hungary to block new EU sanctions on Russia over Ukraine pipeline dispute Reuters

Macron asks Trump to lift sanctions on former EU tech chief Thierry Breton Politico

Ukraine imposes sanctions against Belarus' Lukashenko for aiding Russia's war Reuters

Credit cards cancelled, Google accounts closed: ICC judges on life under Trump sanctions The Guardian

US grants sanctions waiver to Serbia's Russia-owned NIS oil firm until March 20 Reuters

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Malaysia summons anti-corruption chief in stock ownership probe South China Morning Post

Appeal dismissed in B.C. forfeiture suit linked to alleged $220M money laundering case Vancouver Sun

HK$261 million of frozen crime funds may take 7 years to reach Hong Kong coffers South China Morning Post

Newly Released Epstein Records Detail Financial Ties Linking Billionaire, Art Adviser and Epstein OCCRP

Jury to get tax-evasion case against Supreme Court lawyer who became high-stakes poker player AP News

The Private Jet Fleet Of $8 Billion Ponzi Scheme Fraudster Allen Stanford Simple Flying

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

PayPal discloses data breach that exposed user info for 6 months BleepingComputer

A Vast Trove of Exposed Social Security Numbers May Put Millions at Risk of Identity Theft Wired

Silicon Valley Engineers Charged With Stealing Trade Secrets From Leading Tech Companies And Transferring Confidential Data To Unauthorized Locations, Including Iran DOJ

'Starkiller' Phishing Service Proxies Real Login Pages, MFA Krebs on Security

FBI: Threats from Salt Typhoon are 'still very much ongoing' CyberScoop

Major cyberattack forces closure of clinics across Mississippi CNN

Ukrainian sentenced to 5 years in prison for facilitating North Korean remote worker scheme CyberScoop

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Brown urges police probe into whether Prince Andrew used RAF bases to meet Epstein BBC News

Man admits trying to bribe juror at trial of ex-heavyweight boxer accused of trafficking $1 billion worth of cocaine CBS News

Man sentenced to nearly 29 years in prison for sex trafficking in Figueroa Corridor CBS News

Haiti Criminal Groups Trafficking Children Amid State Collapse Human Rights Watch

“It is not wisdom but Authority that makes a law.” —Thomas Hobbes

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