- Illicit Edge
- Posts
- Scam Creep, Iran Deal, and Taliban Red Carpet
Scam Creep, Iran Deal, and Taliban Red Carpet
Illicit Edge - Edition for June 16, 2026
In partnership with
Greetings! It’s June 16, and we’re tracking today’s top stories: As Cambodia Cracks Down, Cyberscam Networks Test Sri Lanka; US-Iran peace deal hinges on shipping, sanctions relief and deferred nuclear talks; EU Set To Host Taliban For First Time Despite Outcry Over Human Rights Violations; Italian police dismantle illicit bank used by drug traffickers as global broker; and much more…
***
Share the knowledge!
Tell a friend to subscribe to Illicit Edge here.
🎯 FEATURED STORY
As Cambodia Cracks Down, Cyberscam Networks Test Sri Lanka. What happens next will determine whether the island is a temporary refuge for foreign cybercriminals or becomes part of Asia’s cybercrime infrastructure. Diplomat
🔥 TOP STORIES
US-Iran peace deal hinges on shipping, sanctions relief and deferred nuclear talks Guardian
UK, France, Germany and Italy ready to lift Iran sanctions after US-Iran deal Reuters
EU Set To Host Taliban For First Time Despite Outcry Over Human Rights Violations RFE
Italian police dismantle illicit bank used by drug traffickers as global broker AFP
How Millions of Digital Home Devices Are Secretly Powering Cyberattacks Wall Street Journal
China tees up digital payments system to compete with dollar Financial Times
Venezuelan Crime Boss’s Demise Creates Opening for Mining Boost Bloomberg
Wiretaps Show Suspects In Ukraine Corruption Case Discussed Enlisting Lawmaker RFE
UK regulator shutters payments firm on money laundering concerns Reuters
Royal Marines board Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in English Channel BBC
Iran-linked group claims hack of FBI drones, threatens World Cup AFP
Google Sues Chinese Crime Group for Allegedly Using Gemini AI for Mass Phishing Scams Decrypt
The World’s Leading Deepfake Expert No Longer Trusts His Own Eyes New York Times
Who, Where, How and Why? A data-driven look behind migrant smuggling around the world UNODC
IN THE NEWS
🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA
Trump’s China-Nvidia Dealing Threatens DOJ Chip Smuggling Trial Bloomberg
UC Berkeley doctoral student accused of espionage Los Angeles Times
Beijing blasts Pentagon’s latest Chinese military company list Politico
White House’s export limits on Anthropic linked to concerns about Chinese access Semafor
China issues guidelines on financial services data amid broader cybersecurity push Reuters
Speak naturally. Send without fixing.
Wispr Flow turns your voice into clean, professional text you can send the moment you stop talking. Not rough transcription you have to clean up. Actual polished text — ready for email, Slack, or any app.
Speak the way you think. Go on tangents. Change your mind mid-sentence. Flow strips the filler, fixes the grammar, and gives you text that reads like you spent five minutes writing it.
89% of messages sent with zero edits. Millions of professionals use Flow daily, including teams at OpenAI, Vercel, and Clay. Works on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.
🚀 SANCTIONS
Will a US-Iran deal ease pressure on China’s sanctions-hit firms? South China Morning Post
No consensus for EU sanctions against Israel's Ben-Gvir Reuters
Russian bishop known as Putin's "personal priest" targeted by EU sanctions CBS News
EU Sanctions Russia’s Prosecutor General and Dozens of Others Moscow Times
Palestine Action ban is lawful, Court of Appeal rules BBC
💥 TERROR
How net closed in on ‘mastermind behind UK arson attacks’ The Times
Erdogan’s family built a nationwide paramilitary network to sustain repressive rule in Turkey Nordic Monitor
Paying ISIS to keep a cement plant running: How a major French company financed one of the world's most brutal terrorist groups EU Reporter
Thai Court Sentences 2 Men to Death For Involvement in 2015 Erawan Shrine Bombing Diplomat
Two men convicted in UK of trying to send weapons to conflict zones BBC
JNIM Escalates Sahelian Offensives Amid Fratricidal War with ISSP Jamestown
Police urged to arrest radical Islamist cleric The Telegraph
💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME
Former American businessman detained in Myanmar after alleged financial misconduct AP
Perceived corruption of World Cup countries Politico
Cocaine money launderer's Illinois cannabis license goes up in smoke Chicago Sun-Times
Swiss crackdown on white-collar crime has a timing problem Reuters
Iraq cancels million Baghdad airport project over corruption concerns Reuters
Leaked Files Raise Questions Over Millions Flowing to Belarusian Tycoon OCCRP
🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER
Children are being recruited as criminals at an 'industrial scale' ABC News
A Crypto Scam Targeted a Gay OnlyFans Star. Then His X Feed Was Flooded With ‘MAGA Propaganda’ Wired
Bill aims to centralize government efforts to fight online fraud NBC News
FBI disrupts massive AI-powered phishing service using a million URLs BleepingComputer
California water systems hit by Iranian hackers in terrifying threat to drinking supply New York Post
KPMG pulls report on AI usage due to apparent hallucinations TechCrunch
🚚 TRAFFICKING
7 indicted in large Colorado drug trafficking investigation involving candy distribution CBS News
Jordan foils infiltration, narcotic smuggling attempt Arab News
Drug trafficking network dismantled by international coalition Eurojust
Suspects who breached gate at Camp Pendleton apprehended after 6-hour manhunt; drugs seized Stars and Stripes
Rehab by Force in the Middle of a Cartel War OCCRP
“It is right to endure with resignation what the gods send, and to face one's enemies with courage.” —Pericles
Share Illicit Edge with friends!
They can subscribe here for free and never miss a story.