Illicit Activity
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Allies, Partners push to strengthen laws to curb China’s increased spying and foreign interference
FORUM Staff The August arrest of two former Chinese military personnel on espionage charges in South Korea underscores the urgency for Allies and Partners to counter the spike in nefarious…
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Cambodia, U.S. seek to jointly combat online scam centers
The Associated Press Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met with the head of the top United States law enforcement agency, FBI Director Kash Patel, in late July 2026 on joint efforts…
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Across Indo-Pacific, countering cybercrime increasingly seen as national security mission
Mandeep Singh Once viewed primarily as a law enforcement challenge, cybercrime is increasingly seen as a national security risk. Nations across the Indo-Pacific are responding with whole-of-government strategies encompassing intelligence…
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Thousands still trapped in Myanmar scam centers; U.S. targets money laundering operations
Reuters More than 5,300 people are still trapped in online scam centers near Myanmar’s border with Thailand, a human rights group said in June 2026, more than a year after…
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U.S.’s supertanker interdiction highlights intensified campaign against illicit maritime networks
FORUM Staff The United States operation to board and assert control over the stateless supertanker MT Davina represents a significant maritime enforcement success against Iran’s sanctions-evasion network. The early June…
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U.S. continues to disrupt illicit networks supporting Iran
FORUM Staff United States forces intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman sailing from China toward an Iranian port, as well as a dark fleet tanker tied…
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U.S., Allies and Partners continue to disrupt sanctioned states’ illicit activities
FORUM Staff The United States has intercepted the third and final oil tanker that fled Venezuelan waters for the Indian Ocean in early 2026, again underscoring the mission of the…
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Sanctions, seizures, surveillance combat synthetic drug trade in Indo-Pacific
U.S. Army 8th Theater Sustainment Command The synthetic drug trade, spearheaded by fentanyl and methamphetamine, has metastasized from a criminal enterprise into a complex geopolitical phenomenon, demanding an expansive, multidimensional…
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India intercepts Iran-linked vessels in escalating crackdown on illegal oil trade
Mandeep Singh A sea-air interdiction by the Indian Coast Guard disrupted an international oil smuggling network off western India, underscoring New Delhi’s expanding maritime enforcement posture amid deepening cooperation with…
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U.S. interceptions of oil tankers in Indian Ocean demonstrate global ability to disrupt illicit maritime activity
FORUM Staff United States forces intercepted and boarded an oil tanker in mid-February 2026, the second time the U.S. has conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction in the Indian Ocean of…
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