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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
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