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Hello Saturday! It’s November 2, and we’re tracking top stories for the weekend: Florida cannabis tracking company linked to men in Trump Media insider trading scheme, liberal dark money network sends inaccurate election texts, largest drug “super lab” in Canada’s history busted with record amount of fentanyl, Pig Butchers prey on parents, and much more…

Illicit Edge original podcasts bring you inside the most important and provocative stories across the financial crime universe. Subscribe here and never miss an episode!

Featured Story

🎯 Florida cannabis tracking company linked to men in Trump Media insider trading scheme. BioTrack’s connection to two men penalized for a financial crime suggests there’s an uphill challenge for regulators. Miami Herald

Top Stories

🌎 'Something That the Feds Really Need To Look At': Liberal Dark Money Network Sends Inaccurate Election Texts to Voters Across US. Free Beacon 

🌎 Largest drug “super lab” in Canada’s history busted with record amount of fentanyl. Gaganpreet Randhawa was arrested and is in custody facing numerous drug and firearms charges. CBS 

🌎 They’re Giving Scammers All Their Money. The Kids Can’t Stop Them. One son couldn’t prevent his father from giving about $1M in savings to con artists, including one posing as a female wrestling star. NYT

🎙️ Designated: Pig Butchering with Erin West and Yaya Fanusie Illicit Edge Originals 

🌎 Group of illegals used blowtorches, cellphone jammers and disguises to rob banks across multiple states. Heist crew scouted banks and visited nearby businesses to understand the floor plan before the robberies. LAT 

🌎 IMF website lists sanctioned former Russia central banker as executive board member. The executive board is the Fund's top day-to-day business decision-making body. Reuters 

🌎 Tether's Usage Rise in Time Zones That Include Sanctioned Nations. Data Suggests USDT Adoption in Sanctioned Nations Like Russia and Iran Lacking Global Banking Access. Bloomberg

🌎 Xi Jinping’s Axis of Losers. The Right Way to Thwart the New Autocratic Convergence Foreign Affairs 

🌎 US fines GlobalFoundries for shipping chips to sanctioned Chinese firm. GlobalFoundries sent 74 shipments worth $17M to SJ Semiconductor, an affiliate of SMIC, without seeking a license. Reuters

🌎 U.S. to Expand National-Security Reviews of Real Estate Deals Near Military Bases. The U.S. has become increasingly concerned about the national security risks posed by Chinese-linked purchases. Reuters 

🌎 As smuggling rings made billions from migrants, the U.S. was sidelined. Migrant-smuggling has become a top income stream for criminal groups in Latin America but for years the U.S. government did little to dismantle these networks. WaPo

Russia

🇷🇺 How Wagner’s Ruthless Image Crumbled in Mali NYT 

🇷🇺 Fake Video of Migrants Voting Was Russian Propaganda NBC

🇷🇺 NJ man pleads guilty in smuggling scheme intended to aid Russia's war effort AP

🇷🇺 Before US sanctions violations arrest, Russian businessman faced charge in Hong Kong VOA

China

🇨🇳 U.S. bans entry of Esquel Group's products over alleged Uyghur labor UPI

🇨🇳 China's export controls on critical minerals aren't starving the United States – at least so far Peterson 

🎙️ How China Uses Economic Sanctions WOTR

🇨🇳 China's sanction-hit tech industry puzzles over impact of Trump, Harris presidencies Reuters 

🇨🇳 State treasurers push for divestment from China citing 'red flags' regarding CCP control Fox

Corruption & Financial Crime

💸 Community Banks Can Learn From TD Bank’s $3 Billion BSA/AML Penalty Bank Director 

🎙️FATF Plenary, Influence and Sanctions, Financial Inclusion, and FINTRAC AML Conversations 

💸 Citizen of the People's Republic of China Indicted for Theft of Trade Secrets DOJ 

💸 ‘Fat Leonard’ faces sentencing as epic Navy scandal nears end Fox

Crypto & Cyber

🔐 The biggest underestimated security threat of today? Advanced persistent teenagers TechCrunch

🎙️ A push to debunk election disinformation Cyberwire

🔐 Vatican and Israel implicated in Italian hacking scandal Politico 

🔐 Chinese researchers develop AI model for military use on back of Meta's Llama PCMag

Trafficking

🚚 Cartel War and Gruesome Killings Confront Mexico’s New President Bloomberg 

🎙️ Coercive Capital: Networks that Fuel the Fentanyl Crisis with Ray Donovan and Elaine Dezenski Illicit Edge Originals 

🚚 How Mexican cartels manage the flow of migrants on their way to US border AP

🚚 Mexico’s questions over El Mayo’s capture are testing the patience of the United States El Pais

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

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