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Sanctions Overlap, Terrorist AI, and Captagon Creep
Illicit Edge - Edition for July 13, 2026
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Happy Monday! It’s July 13, and we’re tracking top stories to start the week: How overlapping US and China sanctions are complicating business in Africa, How Terrorist Groups Are Using A.I. to Gain an Edge in Battle, Captagon Creeps into Syria's Contested Areas, Family that founded egg empire pocketed $320M during alleged price-fixing scheme, and much more…
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🎯 FEATURED STORY
How overlapping US and China sanctions are complicating business in Africa. Compliance inquiries surge as broad range of industries at risk, spanning mining, banking, telecoms, technology, energy and infrastructure. South China Morning Post
🔥 TOP STORIES
How Terrorist Groups Are Using A.I. to Gain an Edge in Battle The New York Times
Captagon Creeps into Syria's Contested Areas New Lines Institute
Family that founded egg empire pocketed $320M during alleged price-fixing scheme New York Post
Treasury Targets Key Supreme Leader Financier and Iran’s Shadow Exchange Houses U.S. Department of the Treasury
Over 5,800 arrests, USD 293 million intercepted in global fraud bust INTERPOL
FinCEN Guidance on Voluntary Information Sharing OCC
Russia sanctions legislation gets green light from White House Politico
OpenAI and Google sell AI models to blacklisted China groups Financial Times
Circle Receives Approval to Launch Crypto-Focused Bank The Wall Street Journal
Ex-Epoch Times CFO pleads guilty in $67M multinational money laundering scheme Associated Press
EU proposes asset freezes and travel bans to fight migrant smuggling Reuters
Venetian to pay $7.2M fine to Nevada for dealings with illegal bookmaker Bowyer The Nevada Independent
Swift starts blockchain ledger with initial set banks Reuters
Panama Arrests 26 Port Workers Aiding International Cocaine Trafficking The Maritime Executive
Argentine soccer body has poured millions into Miami. FBI wants to know why Miami Herald
Malaysia denies report that Jho Low entered country for 1MDB talks Reuters
IN THE NEWS
🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA
Secretive China Chipmaker Is Built to Dodge US Curbs Bloomberg
China Weighs Limits on the AI Models American Companies Love The Wall Street Journal
Angola allows banks to use China's yuan for reserve requirements Reuters
Shooting Starlink: The “no limits” partnership between Russia and China is taking aim at Elon Musk The Insider
Russia eyes mid-July start for commercial logistics hub at Syrian port Reuters
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🚀 SANCTIONS & TERROR
Capitals gut next EU sanctions package against Russia Euractiv
US makes it easier to export certain military items, AI chips and commercial satellites to the UAE Reuters
The Future of Russian Sanctions After the Hormuz Crisis RUSI
Trump’s pledge to lift Turkey sanctions sets up fight with Congress, allies The Hill
Palestinian authority under pressure to end payments to convicted terrorists Euractiv
Federal Grand Jury Indicts 8 Men in Conspiracies Related to Plot to Attack UFC Freedom 250 Event at White House, Kill Government Officials U.S. Department of Justice
Cell suspected of carrying out Damascus bombing is linked to ISIS The National
💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME
The Fed's New Money-Laundering Rule Has A Loophole Built In Forbes
Indonesia’s Top Graft Prosecutor Resigns as Police Probe Widens Bloomberg
Turkish prosecutors order detention of 36, including Ankara district mayor, in bribery probe Firstpost
Judge orders Indian billionaire Gautam Adani to answer questions on whether there was a quid pro quo CBS News
Ghana's Abu Trica extradited to US charged with 'scamming elderly Americans' BBC
Arrest in Minnesota Pandemic Fraud Case Faces Extradition Hurdles in Somalia The New York Times
🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER
DOJ to drop charges against man accused in $722 million BitClub crypto Ponzi scheme The Block
Man Serving Federal Prison Sentence Charged with Theft of Forfeited Cryptocurrency U.S. Department of Justice
Attackers Exploit 'Ill Bloom' Vulnerability to Drain Over $5 Million From Cryptocurrency Wallets The Hacker News
Ryuk operator pleads guilty; Blackcat/AlphV conspirator gets nearly 6-year sentence The Record
Newest version of crypto Clarity Act may drop as soon as next week CoinDesk
U.K. agency finds 'universal jailbreaks' unlock dangerous cyber capabilities of OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Fortune
🚚 TRAFFICKING
Former Afghan general arrested and charged with drug and firearm offenses in U.S. CBS News
28 years for £109m drugs kingpin and corrupt courier firm accomplice National Crime Agency
2 men sentenced for roles in trafficking fentanyl analogues from China to the US South China Morning Post
Heroin trafficking along the northern and southern routes Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Following the trail of the pilot who delivered El Mayo Zambada to the US El País
“Let every eye negotiate for itself and trust no agent.” —William Shakespeare
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