gang

According to GMGN market data, the market capitalization of the BSC chain ecosystem meme coin GANG briefly surpassed 6 million USD, currently reported at 5.88 million USD, with a daily increase of over 61%. It is reported that GANG is positioned as a token issuance and trading platform aimed at AI Agents, supporting only BAW Agents for token issuance and internal trading, with a single wallet holding limit of 1%.Its token mechanism is divided into two categories: tax-free and taxed. Tax-free tokens incur a 1% fee on internal trades, of which 80% is used to repurchase and burn GANG, and 20% goes to the treasury, with no further fees after graduation; taxed tokens incur a 1% fee on both internal and external trades, of which 50% is distributed to users holding no less than 10,000 tokens, and the remaining portion has 80% used to repurchase GANG, with 20% going to the treasury. Meme coin prices are highly volatile and easily affected by market sentiment and hot events, please be aware of trading risks.

According to Bitcoin.com, the Colombian Attorney General's Office announced on Wednesday that, in coordination with U.S. intelligence agencies, it has arrested 8 individuals suspected of using cryptocurrency to launder money for drug trafficking organizations. Police and military conducted simultaneous operations in four locations: Cúcuta, Maicao, Barranquilla, and Bogotá.Among those arrested were 7 individuals, including the gang leader Guillermo Carpio Cárdenas (nicknamed "Gallo"). The U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico has charged that the gang used deposit networks, cryptocurrency tokens, and small transaction splitting (smurfing) to conceal the source of drug money and evade monitoring by financial intelligence agencies.Another suspect, Nassim Orfale Vasquez, was arrested in Barranquilla and has been indicted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. According to the IRS, he has handled over $42 million in suspicious cryptocurrency transactions since 2018, and authorities are investigating whether there are larger money laundering organizations in Colombia's coastal regions.

Ledger released a report on the investigation of hardware implant attacks, stating that a highly organized criminal gang purchased genuine Ledger devices over several months, disassembled them, and implanted custom hidden components to steal users' recovery phrases when initializing the devices. They then resold the devices through Southeast Asian distributor channels.The attackers invested millions of dollars to build infrastructure for collecting recovery phrases, asset transfers, and money laundering, coordinating actions to transfer victims' assets. Ledger emphasized that this incident was not caused by vulnerabilities in the chip, operating system, or servers, but rather a localized distribution channel attack that occurred after the devices left the company's control. Currently, Ledger has requested authorized distributors and resellers in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong to suspend sales and conduct random checks on inventory and retail channel devices, finding no other tampered devices.Additionally, Ledger has requested authorized distributors not to resell any returned devices, even if the packaging is intact; they have also immediately prohibited displaying products on shelves or in display areas, requiring devices to be stored at the back of the store and delivered upon purchase. The company is working with law enforcement and the security community to track the stolen funds and will disclose more technical details in the future.

Ledger announced the progress of the investigation into the hardware wallet implantation attack. According to its disclosure, an organized crime group spent months purchasing genuine Ledger devices, disassembling them to implant custom hardware specifically designed to steal mnemonic phrases, and then reintroducing them to the market through Southeast Asian distribution channels.The group also established a supporting system for collecting mnemonic phrases, asset theft, and money laundering, with Ledger stating that the scale of their investment reached several million dollars. Ledger emphasized that this incident is a localized distribution channel attack, and its chips, operating system, and servers were not compromised.The company has requested authorized distributors and resellers in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong to suspend sales and implement new security regulations, including prohibiting the display of devices on shelves or in display areas, as well as banning the resale of returned devices.

According to the Gulf Times, Sharjah police have dismantled four interconnected cross-border crime gangs, involving 33 individuals and enterprises.The four gangs are suspected of network attacks and data theft, money laundering using virtual assets, stealing digital wallets through social engineering attacks, and violently coercing victims to hand over wallet passwords. After reviewing hundreds of pieces of digital evidence, the police identified the suspects and launched raids.

A 28-year-old core member of the globally renowned ransomware group Qilin has been arrested in Japan and was extradited to Germany on October 2. Reports indicate that the man is suspected of illegally infiltrating the systems of a logistics company in Germany in September 2024, encrypting data, and demanding a ransom of approximately $165,000 (about 26 million yen) in Bitcoin.Investigations show that he was responsible for building the attack systems within the Qilin criminal network and took a cut from the ransoms collected by various branch execution teams. Japanese police apprehended him while he was traveling to Osaka in late May this year, and he was subsequently handed over to German authorities after being deemed eligible by the Tokyo High Court. Qilin operates under a "ransomware as a service" (RaaS) model and previously claimed responsibility for a cyber attack on Japan's Asahi Group in 2025.

Greek police dismantled a cryptocurrency investment fraud gang and arrested 17 people, including 9 military personnel. Preliminary investigations by the police show that about 10,000 people participated in the investment, with an average investment of around 800 euros per person, and the amount involved is estimated to exceed 8 million euros.The gang operated by recruiting new members to obtain higher returns, exhibiting clear "pyramid" characteristics. In addition, the gang recently froze the withdrawal function and claimed that investors could receive double their principal back after 50 days if they doubled their investment. The police have currently seized about 280,000 euros, and the investigation is ongoing.

According to on-chain analyst Wazz, there is an organized chain of Rug Pull and fund extraction gang on Robinhood, which has been associated with 53 token issuances in the past two months. The directly traceable extraction amount has reached 18.43 million USD, and the actual amount may be higher.It is reported that the gang's methods are highly systematic: the funds raised from each issuance will flow into the launch wallet of the next issuance within seconds, forming a chain of funds; each issuance is bundled with 70-200 wallets to capture over 70% of the supply, mostly issued through the Pons V2 platform.In addition, the gang also creates "fake issuances" to hype up before the official issuance, harvesting market sentiment in advance, and then publishes the real contract address to maximize extraction profits. The token under investigation, $DEED, even failed to make it into the top ten of the extraction amounts.

According to Decrypt, Michael Gubbins, the head of the Criminal Assets Bureau in Ireland, revealed to the Sunday Independent that organized crime gangs are renting private vaults to store cryptocurrency wallet private keys and mnemonic phrases along with cash, luxury watches, passports, and other valuables. This situation has been reported to the government's Anti-Money Laundering Steering Committee, which is preparing to implement new EU anti-money laundering rules in Ireland.The new EU regulations will take effect next summer, prohibiting cash transactions over 10,000 euros and requiring businesses to identify individuals for cash expenditures of 3,000 euros and above. Gubbins stated that crime gangs believe cryptocurrency offers anonymity, but the use of cryptocurrency in Ireland is still quite primitive, with cash remaining the primary form of payment for criminal activities such as drug trafficking.The bureau is handling its largest cryptocurrency seizure in history, involving 6,000 bitcoins confiscated from a cannabis grower in 2019, with the private keys written on paper and hidden in a tackle box, which was later lost. With the assistance of Europol, the bureau has cracked the first of 12 wallets in March, with over 130 million euros already liquidated from assets totaling 360 million euros.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian National Police and Security Service announced the dismantling of a fake investment platform network based in Kyiv. This gang stole cryptocurrency from users in over 20 countries through built-in wallet theft tools. Investigators have currently confirmed 62 victims, including citizens from Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Spain, France, the UK, Canada, and Israel. The organizers recruited more than 46 Ukrainians, operating multiple offices in Kyiv and surrounding areas, where developers were responsible for building the fake platform and resisting bans, while other members handled customer service and security.According to the Ukrainian Security Service, the organizer is a 25-year-old IT expert, and the gang's peak monthly revenue reached up to $1 million. The scam began with advertisements for cryptocurrency investment projects on Telegram. After users registered, they connected their wallets and invested funds, while gang members manually forged transactions to show a continuously increasing balance in the user backend. When users requested withdrawals, the platform required them to connect their main wallet and approve a small "test" transaction under the pretext of verification. This authorization immediately triggered the built-in theft tool on the website, transferring assets to wallets controlled by the gang and locking the victims' accounts.Investigators tracked down server equipment storing the gang's database in the Netherlands, which recorded victim information, wallet addresses, stolen amounts, internal communications, and platform operation data, as well as user passports, phone numbers, emails, login passwords, and photos. Police executed 34 searches in Kyiv and surrounding areas, seizing over 100 computers, more than 100 mobile phones, 79 SIM cards, one GSM gateway, cash, and 15 vehicles.

The Public Security Bureau of Hongkou District, Shanghai, China, recently solved a case involving cross-border illegal settlement and illegal foreign exchange trading using virtual currency, arresting 9 criminal suspects and involving an amount of over 200 million yuan. The suspects, including a person named Li, established a technology company at the beginning of 2024 to seek illegal profits, building two platforms online: "Cross-Border Fund Exchange" and "Virtual Credit Card Issuance and Settlement." They solicited customers both online and offline, illegally conducting exchange and settlement services for virtual currency and cross-border funds, profiting through transaction fees, service fees, card issuance fees, withdrawal fees, and other means.Investigators stated, "The uniqueness of this case lies in the fact that the criminals developed two apps and publicly solicited customers on such a large scale, which has never been seen before. The platforms built in this case are themselves a closed-loop illegal financial service system, with all transactions settled internally on the platform. This mode of crime has a higher degree of scale, a longer chain, and is more deceptive." Reports indicate that on the "Cross-Border Fund Exchange" platform, the criminal gang collected customers' virtual currency overseas and exchanged it for foreign currency, forming a "fund pool," and then realized cross-border settlement through fabricated contracts, achieving the exchange and transfer of virtual currency to RMB. On the "Virtual Credit Card Issuance and Settlement" platform, the criminal gang "cooperated" with several overseas private banks to issue virtual credit cards to customers, who could use the card for consumption, but the repayment process had to be settled in virtual currency; the gang exchanged virtual currency for foreign currency overseas, relying on false cross-border settlements to complete clearing with overseas card merchants.

According to Livecoins, the Joint Task Force Against Organized Crime in Rondônia, Brazil (FICCO/RO) executed arrest and search warrants against a gang suspected of electronic fraud and money laundering. The criminal organization is accused of using cryptocurrency exchanges to hide illegal funds transferred from the original victims' accounts.A case investigated in 2025 resulted in losses of approximately $5.74 million. The court has issued 8 preventive arrest warrants and 18 search warrants, and authorized the freezing of related assets such as cryptocurrency exchange and bank accounts. In addition to targeting securities accounts, the law also mandates the seizure of vehicles and boats belonging to the individuals under investigation.

Recently, the public security agencies of Zhanjiang and Leizhou in Guangdong, China, launched a concentrated crackdown operation, successfully dismantling a money laundering criminal gang that used virtual currency transactions to transfer funds from telecom network fraud. Sixteen members were criminally detained in accordance with the law.The gang, led by a couple named He and Zhang, began laundering and transferring fraudulently obtained funds through virtual currency trading models since the end of 2025. They illegally profited by earning transaction price differences and amassed a large number of personal bank cards, WeChat, Alipay, and other payment accounts to build a money laundering chain. In the early hours of July 24, the police conducted a precise cross-regional operation, dismantling the entire gang. The Zhanjiang Public Security Bureau solemnly reminds that "score running" money laundering is an important accomplice in telecom network fraud. Involved individuals will be charged based on the severity of their actions, suspected of aiding information network criminal activities, concealing and disguising criminal proceeds, and crimes related to the benefits of criminal proceeds.Citizens are strongly advised not to rent, lend, or sell personal bank cards and various payment accounts for the sake of small commissions. They must resolutely avoid participating in illegal activities such as virtual currency fund transfers and money laundering. Everyone should consciously protect their personal credit and property safety and actively stay away from all types of fraud-related criminal activities.

The Brazilian Federal Police are cracking down on a drug trafficking gang that has been laundering money through cryptocurrency in Operation Commodity. Since 2021, the gang has smuggled over 6.5 tons of cocaine to Europe via the Port of Rio de Janeiro, with the drugs hidden in shipments of coffee, cement, and mortar.The operation covered São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, and Espírito Santo, with police executing 13 preventive arrests and 44 search and seizure warrants. The court ordered the seizure of assets and the freezing of up to 1 billion reais, approximately 196 million dollars. Police stated that the gang is linked to Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV), and laundered money through a luxury car dealership and shell companies in the Greater São Paulo area, with the dealership selling vehicles such as Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette, and Land Rover.The individuals involved used shell companies to issue invoices lacking supporting documents, bringing drug trafficking proceeds into the Brazilian financial system and using cryptocurrency to conceal transactions. The suspects will be held accountable for charges including transnational organized crime, international drug trafficking, and money laundering.

According to Protos, a gang in the UK disguised as police officers and created a fake police website, convincing cryptocurrency holders over the phone to transfer funds into so-called "safe accounts," stealing $5.4 million worth of cryptocurrency, and were sentenced this week. 23-year-old Hamza Bashir, 25-year-old Kevin Nwamma, and 29-year-old Anthony Ikenwe were sentenced to six years and nine months, eleven years, and eleven years in prison, respectively.The stolen funds were used to purchase luxury items, including a £60,000 car, vacation trips to Thailand and Japan, and products from brands such as Harrods, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Rolex. The police also discovered £500,000 in cash in a safe and determined that most of the stolen cryptocurrency had been converted into payment cards. Gang members also falsely reported their annual income, with one declaring only £444. The Metropolitan Police began investigating the gang after receiving reports from victims in January 2025.

According to Hürriyet Daily News, Turkish prosecutors have filed charges against a massive money laundering network involving the "Grand Bazaar," with the amount in question nearing 40 billion Turkish lira (approximately 850 million USD). The indictment lists 504 suspects who are accused of using shell companies, bank accounts, currency exchange offices, POS terminals, and cryptocurrency transactions to conceal illegal proceeds. The suspects are also accused of converting the illicit funds into cryptocurrency and transferring them abroad, as well as luring victims into fraudulent investment schemes with promises of high returns. Prosecutors are seeking a maximum sentence of 34.5 years in prison for the alleged mastermind Türker Ak and a maximum of 31 years for the alleged network manager Murat Dönmezoğlu.

According to Livecoins, the Chilean Financial Market Commission (CMF) announced the cancellation of the registration qualifications of the cryptocurrency platform Plusspay, due to its investigation revealing connections with the Venezuelan criminal organization "Tren de Aragua," which was used to provide financial support to the gang.In addition to Plusspay, several other institutions, including Pixeltec and Iuinvest, that failed to submit complete information on time as required by the Financial Technology Law (Lei Fintec) have also had their qualifications to provide services in the Chilean market revoked. These institutions are prohibited from expanding their customer base and may only conduct operations related to clearing services and returning frozen funds to existing users. Regulators emphasized that payment and cryptocurrency service providers must enhance transparency to prevent money laundering and illegal fund flows.

"On-chain detective" ZachXBT published a case analysis stating that in a cryptocurrency asset case involving an Indian scam gang, the relevant individuals reported the case to law enforcement after their assets were frozen, drawing attention. The incident began when a user sought help, claiming that approximately 5.73 BTC (about $475,000) was frozen on Changelly in March 2025.Subsequent on-chain analysis revealed that these funds could be traced back to multiple social engineering attacks and theft cases related to Bitcoin ATMs targeting U.S. users, with a total amount involved exceeding $1 million and several elderly victims. The investigation showed that the individual provided multiple changing explanations for the source of the funds, including "loan," "boss transfer," and "investment from 2014-2015," and there were significant contradictions in the evidence chain.More concerning is that this user had previously filed a police report in India in December 2025, attempting to recover the frozen funds (case number 3207-P/2025). Subsequent on-chain evidence collection and email data analysis indicated that they might be a "mule" for transferring funds, with some bank documents inconsistent with their identity information. ZachXBT noted that such cases demonstrate that social engineering attacks and cross-border fund transfers continue to occur and remind users to avoid interacting with funds from suspicious sources to prevent triggering compliance freezes or legal risks.

According to Cointelegraph, a joint law enforcement operation involving 11 countries dismantled the Audi A6 cryptocurrency money laundering gang and the Dark2Web market, which handled approximately $390 million in illegal funds between 2022 and 2025. Authorities arrested two administrators from Russia and Ukraine in Georgia, seized 25 domain names, over 30 servers, 80 vehicles, and froze approximately $900,000 in cryptocurrency. Audi A6 operated on a "mixing coins as a service" model, charging a commission of 3% to 10%, and could "clean" cryptocurrency in about an hour. Chainalysis reported that since 2021, the Audi A6 wallet received approximately 10,333 BTC, valued at around $389 million at the time of the transactions. The investigation involved the United States, Australia, France, Poland, Georgia, Iceland, Canada, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, coordinated by Eurojust and Europol. Law enforcement agencies identified over 6,000 fake KYC accounts created using stolen or purchased identities to transfer illegal funds.