Happy Monday! It’s March 17, and we’re tracking top stories to start the week: First 250+ migrant gang members from U.S. arrive in El Salvador, Trump’s New World Order tests the dollar, Huawei bribery scandal reignites anti-corruption fight in EU, how Chilean gangs steal from America’s ultra-rich, and much more…

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2025 Crypto Crime Report
Key trends that shaped the illicit crypto market in 2024

🎯 FEATURED STORY

First 250+ migrant gang members from US arrive in El Salvador — where they’ll be held in a notorious mega-prison. The flights included 238 members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, as well as 21 members of MS-13, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, revealed. NYP

🔥 TOP STORIES

Trump’s New World Order Tests the Dollar WSJ 

Huawei bribery scandal reignites anti-corruption fight in EU Politico

Ghillie suits and Maseratis: How Chilean gangs steal from America’s ultra-rich Telegraph

Inside the Chinese Region That Has Become a No-Go for Western Companies WSJ

US imposes sanctions on Thai officials after Uyghur men are deported to China AP

China, Russia and Iran call for end to US sanctions on Iran and the restart of nuclear talks AP

Trump toughens sanctions on Russian oil, gas and banking sectors CBS

Russian LockBit developer extradited from Israel, appears in New Jersey court Record

US weighing in on Lebanon's next central bank chief Reuters

Trump Treasury Expands Financial Surveillance CATO

Vance expects a 'high-level' TikTok deal by the April 5 deadline NBC

AML Bitcoin creator convicted of wire fraud, money laundering Cointelegraph

‘As long he is breathing, I’m not safe’: romance fraud victim flees UK after jailed conman is freed Guardian

💥 RUSSIA & CHINA

‘Made in Russia’ goods are the new craze in China CNN

Russia’s ghost ships haunt Libya ICIJ

EU Delists Russian Oligarchs After Sanctions Pressure From Hungary And Slovakia RFE

Leak Reveals Russia Is Quietly Priming Bitcoin And Crypto For A Price Bombshell Forbes

G7 ministers unite to back Ukraine and warn Russia of sanctions Reuters

Banned Russian Channel RT Secretly Pays Video Bloggers Who Promote Kremlin Narratives OCCRP

💸 CORRUPTION & FINANCIAL CRIME

DOJ is investigating whether Columbia University hid students sought by the U.S. AP

US Export Bank Quietly Approves $5B Loan to French Company With Ties to Foreign Adversaries, Sparking Conservative Criticism Free Beacon

Brooklyn man's Seinfeld joke turns out to be multi-million dollar scam USAT

US Supreme Court allows FINRA proceedings against Alpine Securities Reuters

India to deliver US summons to Adani for alleged bribery Reuters

100,000 people rally in massive anti-corruption protest against Serbian government AP

🔐 CRYPTO & CYBER

California Man Sentenced for Using Bitcoin To Launder Dark Web MDMA Profits Decrypt

TON Surges 20% as Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Recovers Passport From French Authorities CoinDesk 

Singapore prosecutors say US server fraud case involves $390M of transactions Reuters 

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on the New Crypto Task Force CoinDesk 

A New Era of Attacks on Encryption Is Starting to Heat Up Wired

🚚 TRAFFICKING

Iraq seizes more than one ton of captagon pills shipped from Syria Reuters 

Long Island DA reveals 3 twisted ‘rules’ that made MS-13 a plague in the suburbs — ‘biggest, baddest, most violent gang’ NYP

Europol Bust Uncovers Ecuador-EU Drug Network OCCRP

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2025 Crypto Crime Report
Key trends that shaped the illicit crypto market in 2024

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