Recent developments highlight evolving challenges in cross-border crime, underground finance, and emerging risks in digital sectors.
INTERPOL's International Child Sexual Exploitation database has identified over 65,000 victims and nearly 27,000 offenders across 75 countries since 2011, including nearly 5,800 victims in 2026 alone. The organization emphasized the critical need for enhanced cross-border information sharing and coordinated investigations to address the growing global threat posed by child sexual exploitation, trafficking, cybercrime, and organized crime spanning multiple jurisdictions.
An investigation initiated by a 2021 cocaine seizure off Spain uncovered a major underground banking network facilitating drug shipment financing and laundering for organized crime internationally. Operation DRAKKAR led to 21 arrests across multiple countries and the seizure or freezing of approximately €20 million in assets. The network reportedly moved large sums across borders without physical cash transfers, using brokers, trade transactions, and other mechanisms, including banknote serial numbers for cash handoff authentication. The probe also revealed a second large cocaine cache linked to the network.
FATF published new risk indicators addressing money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing in casinos, gambling, and video gaming, based on input from over 80 jurisdictions. The analysis highlights illegal gambling as a significant sector risk, with illicit markets rivaling or exceeding legal ones in some areas. Indicators include misuse of gambling platforms for money movement without play, smurfing, coordinated betting possibly linked to competition manipulation, multiple accounts under different identities, and complex ownership structures obscuring beneficial ownership. The report also notes increased use of e-wallets, mobile money, virtual assets, and cross-border payment channels in digital gambling ecosystems.
U.S. prosecutors charged Colombian national William Andres Holguin Mendez with an alleged $135 million money laundering conspiracy involving drug proceeds and cryptocurrency. The indictment alleges narcotics proceeds were funneled through shell company bank accounts, converted into stablecoins via a U.S.-based crypto exchange, transferred to a foreign exchange, and then converted into Colombian pesos distributed to over 200 bank accounts. KYC records identified Holguin Mendez as the sole owner of the implicated accounts. He faces up to 20 years in prison and remains detained pending trial; charges are allegations.
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