Putin Purge, Deutsche Raid, and Dubai Dash

Illicit Edge - Edition for January 30, 2026

Happy Friday! It’s January 30, and we’re tracking top stories to take you into the weekend: Moscow Airport Sells for Half Off, a Sign of Russia’s Global Isolation; Deutsche Bank offices raided in money laundering probe; Iran elite 'transfer $1.5bn to Dubai' as they 'abandon ship' amid US strike fears; Google Aims Knockout Blow at Chinese Company Linked to Massive Cyber Weapon; and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

Moscow Airport Sells for Half Off, a Sign of Russia’s Global Isolation. The government opened the sale to cut-rate bidding for Domodedovo Airport after it received no offers at its initial asking price of $1.7 billion. The New York Times

🔥 TOP STORIES

Deutsche Bank offices raided in money laundering probe BBC News

Iran elite 'transfer $1.5bn to Dubai' as they 'abandon ship' amid US strike fears The Express

Google Aims Knockout Blow at Chinese Company Linked to Massive Cyber Weapon Wall Street Journal

Trump, two sons, Trump Org sue IRS, Treasury for $10 billion over tax records leak CNBC

Does Qatar Fund Antisemitism at American Campuses? Wall Street Journal

US Eases Venezuela Sanctions After Oil Sector Reforms AFP

White House set to meet with banks, crypto companies to broker legislation compromise Reuters

EU designates Iran’s revolutionary guard as terrorist organization The Guardian

EU has blacklisted Russia for risk of money laundering Reuters

Russia plans to cap retail crypto buys at $4,000 as it brings digital assets into the legal fold CoinDesk

Who Operates the Badbox 2.0 Botnet? Krebs on Security

FBI seizes RAMP cybercrime forum used by ransomware gangs BleepingComputer

Russia’s Lukoil in Talks to Sell Some Assets to U.S. Investment Firm AP

Repressive States Misuse Interpol Red Notices to Pursue Political Targets OCCRP

Palestinian Authority Promised Terrorists More Than $200 Million in ‘Pay-To-Slay’ Payments After it 'Scrapped' Program The Free Beacon

IN THE NEWS

💥 SANCTIONS

The ‘Ghost Fleets’ Moving Oil Around the World The New York Times

Texas oil executive lobbies against Georgia sanctions legislation The Hill

Trump declares national emergency over Cuba, threatens tariffs on nations that supply oil to communist regime Fox News

Russia uses 'shadow mail' postal system to bypass EU sanctions Euronews

Despite Sanctions and Boycotts, Some Western Musicians Return to the Stage in Russia The Moscow Times

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker 'GRINCH' grounded in Marseille port Reuters

The FSB, Lies, And Drunk Texting The FBI: The Curious Case Of Nomma Zarubina Radio Free Europe

German court rejects claims that Putin-friendly Russian oligarch uses his wealth “in the interests of the Kremlin” The Insider

China executes 11 members of Myanmar-based group in crackdown on scam operations AP

CCP-Controlled Messaging App WeChat Used for ‘Coordination Among Chinese Criminal Networks’ in US The Free Beacon

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

Muslim nonprofit director allegedly ‘misled’ senators over $20M for refugees New York Post

Spy Chief Tulsi Gabbard Is Hunting for 2020 Election Fraud Wall Street Journal

Trump Names First-Ever ‘Fraud Czar,’ Raising Concerns of Politicized Investigations TIME

Ex-Casino chief Jean-Charles Naouri found guilty of corruption Financial Times

A string of scandals and luxury handbags: Who is South Korea's former first lady? BBC News

ADM to Pay $40 Million to Settle SEC Accounting Fraud Probe Bloomberg

First Brands founder Patrick James and his brother indicted for fraud Reuters

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Landmark crypto bill clears Senate hurdle but Democrats withhold support over lack of ‘gryfto’ rules to prevent Trump family conflicts of interest Fortune

Feds get second guilty plea in takedown of dark web Empire Market The Record

UK-based pair behind messaging app accused of giving data to Iranian regime The Guardian

Long-running North Korea threat group splits into 3 distinct operations CyberScoop

SolarWinds warns of critical Web Help Desk RCE, auth bypass flaws BleepingComputer

Chinese National Sentenced to Prison for Role in Crypto Scam Targeting Americans U.S. Department of Justice

🇻🇪 VENEZUELA

Behind Closed Doors: Secret Tape Reveals Plans To Launder Venezuela’s Oil Money OCCRP

Citgo buys first Venezuelan oil since 2019 from Trafigura Reuters

U.S. handing over seized tanker to Venezuela Reuters

PetroChina holds off from buying Venezuelan oil marketed under US control Reuters

🚚 TRAFFICKING

A Secret FBI Bust Nabbed an Alleged Drug Lord—and Rocked Relations With Mexico Wall Street Journal

FBI carries out drug trafficking bust on Chicago's West Side, in West Suburbs CBS News

DHS's list of the "worst of the worst" arrested in Minnesota CBS News

Miami club facilitated sex trafficking of women to Alexander Brothers Miami Herald

Smoke and Mirrors: How Intoxicating Hemp Seeped Into the First Recreational Marijuana Market in the Country ProPublica

Trade-Related Illicit Financial Flows in Africa, 2013-2022 Global Financial Integrity

Have a great weekend!

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