Hello Sunday! It’s April 26, and we’re tracking top stories to take you through the weekend: 'The Gentlemen' Rapidly Rises to Ransomware Prominence, Monkey and 125 Pounds of Prohibited Meat Intercepted by Agriculture Specialists, EU sanctions more Russian banks to squeeze Putin’s war economy, Treasury Sanctions Global Illicit Drug Supply Chain Supporting the Sinaloa Cartel, and much more…

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🎯 FEATURED STORY

'The Gentlemen' Rapidly Rises to Ransomware Prominence. Not nearly as polite as the name suggests, the ransomware gang has impressed researchers with its speed in scaling up operations — and its sophistication. Dark Reading

🔥 TOP STORIES

Monkey and 125 Pounds of Prohibited Meat Intercepted by Agriculture Specialists CBP

EU sanctions more Russian banks to squeeze Putin's war economy Politico

Treasury Sanctions Global Illicit Drug Supply Chain Supporting the Sinaloa Cartel U.S. Treasury

10 cartel members linked to brother of drug lord "El Chapo" captured in Mexico in operation aided by U.S. intelligence CBS News

Hong Kong regulators fine PwC $166M over China Evergrande audit AP News

Surprise FBI corruption raid in Lancaster linked to influential Chinese automaker BYD New York Post

Life of an ICC judge under Trump sanctions: no bank, no email, nothing The Times

Terrorists launch simultaneous attacks in Mali Sky News

Tether's $344 million USDT freeze linked to U.S. 'Economic Fury' against Iran regime CoinDesk

Kinahan Cartel: Money and Assets Frozen After Daniel Kinahan Arrest The Times

Palantir is reportedly helping the IRS investigate financial crimes TechCrunch

SPLC’s troubles mount as Republicans probe Biden administration ties Washington Times

Newly Deciphered Sabotage Malware May Have Targeted Iran's Nuclear Program—and Predates Stuxnet WIRED

U.S. imposes sanctions on a China-based oil refinery and 40 shippers over Iran oil AP

End Of Iran Sanctions Waiver Sharpens Focus On Financial Pressure RFE/RL

Feds bust network that smuggled migrants from Iran into U.S. Washington Times

🚩 RUSSIA & CHINA

Fresh EU sanctions set to hit condensate imports from Russia's Yamal LNG Reuters

EU Sanctions Kyrgyzstan in Move to Choke Off Russia's War Machine OCCRP

Chinese National Arrested at JFK International Airport on Federal Charges for Illegally Photographing Military Aircraft at Nebraska Air Force Base DOJ

Security agencies say Chinese hackers using hijacked networks for large-scale cyberattacks Washington Times

Reward Offer of Up to $4 Million for Information Leading to Arrest of Chinese Scam Center Money Launderer State Department

Ex-Trump aide reaches $1.25M settlement with Justice Department AP News

UK Biobank health data listed for sale in China, government confirms BBC

🚀 SANCTIONS & TERROR

Economic Fury Targets Global Network Fueling Iran's Oil Trade and Shadow Fleet U.S. Treasury

US sanctions Cambodian senator for millions earned through scam compounds The Record

Ghana threatens sanctions on mining firms over local employment rules Semafor

Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 8.5 Years for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS DOJ

North Carolina woman arrested after allegedly planning attack on Houston Jewish school ABC

Teen guilty of conspiring 'to murder as many Jewish persons as possible' in unusual trial CBC

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

California Money Launderer Sentenced in D.C. to 70 Months for Role in Scheme that Stole $263 Million DOJ

'Lawrence is karma': the gangster who became an icon of Modi's India The Guardian

Reward Offer of Up to $10 Million for Information Leading to Financial Disruption of Tai Chang Scam Centers in Burma State Department

"F.R.A.U.D. is dope" Podcaster Sentenced to Federal Prison Again DOJ

Justice Department Seeks to Forfeit Beverly Hills Mansion Purchased with Proceeds of Scheme to Defraud U.S. Military and Bribe an Iraqi Official DOJ

Scam Center Strike Force Takes Major Actions Against Southeast Asian Scam Centers Targeting Americans DOJ

First Liberty President Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Ponzi Scheme DOJ

Ilhan Omar husband's California winery suddenly closes amid investigation into her finances New York Post

Police question ex-butler over artworks seized in Portuguese house Reuters

In the DRC, the gold rush has paid a heavy price: pollution, corruption, and land grabbing by Chinese companies. Le Monde

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

Mystery Around Venezuelan Cyberattack Deepens, with New Discovery of "Highly Destructive" Wiper Zero Day

US Soldier Charged for Alleged $400K Polymarket Insider Trading on Maduro Removal Decrypt

CFTC sues New York over prediction market crackdown as 38 AGs back Massachusetts' Kalshi case The Block

Tennessee bans crypto ATMs statewide, joining Indiana in fraud crackdown The Block

CISA orders feds to patch BlueHammer flaw exploited as zero-day BleepingComputer

French police arrest suspected hacker behind dozens of data breaches The Record

🚚 TRAFFICKING

43 Mexican Mafia Gangsters Arrested in Indictments Alleging Racketeering and Drug Trafficking DOJ

Millions of dollars' worth of drugs seized in largest drug bust in New Jersey history ABC 

High-ranking lieutenant of notorious drug gang to be extradited from Ecuador to U.S. CBS

Justice Department Announces New Funding Opportunity to Prosecute Fraud, Drug Trafficking, and Violent Crime DOJ

“Re-examine all that you have been told... dismiss that which insults your soul.” —Walt Whitman

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