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The National Police of Ukraine and the Internal Security Department conducted a joint operation, arresting a suspect in the Transcarpathian region who is alleged to be involved in an international cybercrime gang. This gang is implicated in fraud and money laundering cases exceeding $100 million targeting the United States and Europe, and had previously been listed as an international wanted person by the FBI.The suspect was found in possession of forged identity documents and had even fabricated a death certificate to conceal their whereabouts. The gang deployed malware to steal personal and corporate data, subsequently extorting victims for ransom. Money laundering methods included purchasing real estate and using relatives' names to obscure the flow of funds. Authorities seized approximately $11 million in assets, including cash, real estate, vehicles, and about $3 million worth of cryptocurrency, and also apprehended two co-defendants. The suspect faces charges of document forgery and money laundering.

According to DL News, the state-owned power company Irkutskenergosbyt in the Irkutsk region of Russia recently discovered over 8,000 suspected illegal cryptocurrency mining sites, which were disguised as chicken coops, greenhouses, forests, paper mills, and abandoned gas stations.Since 2019, the company has filed 2,170 lawsuits against illegal miners, seeking a total compensation of $18.5 million. The courts have ruled fines amounting to about half of that total, and some cases have been settled out of court. Miners often disguise their activities as electric vehicle charging or agricultural electricity use, leading to power losses. In many regions of Russia, to ensure grid stability, licensed industrial mining sites have been shut down, and there are plans to use artificial intelligence tools to trace illegal mining.

In the 13th anniversary open letter, Gate founder and CEO Dr. Han pointed out that the crypto industry is undergoing a structural reshaping driven by multiple variables. Technological evolution, improvements in regulatory systems, changes in the macro environment, and a broader user base are all working together to influence the industry's development path, continuously raising the overall threshold.Dr. Han stated that this change is reflected not only in compliance and technical requirements but also in the higher demands for platform system capabilities and long-term investment; as the threshold rises, resources and space are accelerating towards participants who possess long-term judgment and sustained investment capabilities, and long-termists will gain more certain growth opportunities in the new cycle.As a global leading crypto asset trading platform, Gate always regards security and transparency as the cornerstone of development, being the first to introduce a 100% reserve proof scheme and continuously expanding its global compliance footprint. Currently, multiple entities under Gate have obtained or completed relevant regulatory registrations, license applications, authorizations, or approvals in jurisdictions such as Malta, Cyprus, the Bahamas, Japan, Australia, and Dubai. At the same time, the platform deeply integrates AI innovative technology, building an ecosystem that covers multi-asset allocation and full-scenario services, driving the industry towards a smarter and more sustainable future.

On the 26th of this month, the Urumqi Public Security Bureau High-tech Zone (New City District) reported that the Ergong Township Police Station discovered a suspected illegal repair site for electronic "mining machines" during a patrol in its jurisdiction. Police found an abnormal warehouse in a small micro-enterprise park on Yuhang Road in the New City District, where a large number of disassembled and awaiting repair mining machine equipment was piled up, suspected of violating China's relevant prohibitions on the production, sale, repair, leasing, and custody of "mining machines."During the enforcement process, the police also found serious safety hazards at the site, including unauthorized electrical wiring, fire safety facilities not undergoing annual inspections as required, and the absence of a fire management system, posing significant risks of fire and electric shock.After counting, a total of 310 mining machine devices awaiting repair were legally seized on-site, and relevant evidence has been secured. The parties involved have been ordered to immediately cease illegal activities. The case has now been transferred to the relevant departments for further handling.

On the 26th of this month, the Urumqi Public Security Bureau High-tech Zone (New City District) Branch reported that the Ergong Township Police Station discovered a suspected illegal repair site for electronic mining machines during a patrol in its jurisdiction.Police found an unusual warehouse in a small micro-enterprise park on Yuhang Road in the New City District, where a large number of disassembled and awaiting repair mining machine equipment were piled up, suspected of violating China's relevant bans on the production, sale, repair, leasing, and custody of mining machines. During the enforcement process, the police also discovered serious safety hazards at the site, including unauthorized electrical wiring, fire safety facilities not undergoing annual inspections as required, and the absence of a fire management system, posing significant risks of fire and electric shock. After counting, a total of 310 mining machine devices awaiting repair were legally seized on-site, relevant evidence has been secured, and the parties involved have been ordered to immediately cease illegal activities. The case has now been transferred to the relevant departments for further handling.

According to the Financial Times, U.S. President Trump stated that he hopes to "seize Iran's oil resources," and may even occupy the important export hub of Khark Island. Meanwhile, the U.S. has deployed thousands of soldiers to the Middle East. Trump also compared this possible action to the situation in Venezuela.Trump said, "To be honest with you, the thing I want to do most is to get oil from Iran, but some fools in the U.S. say, 'Why would you do that?' But they are just a bunch of fools." Trump stated, "Maybe we will occupy Khark Island, maybe we won't. We have a lot of options." "This also means we have to stay on Khark Island for a while."

According to reports from the Ping An Tianjin Binhai public account, the police in Chenzhou, Hunan have cracked a new type of investment fraud case involving virtual currency, intercepting 7 packages of gold related to the fraud and seizing 310 grams of gold.The police traced the leads and found that these intercepted express deliveries were all part of a scheme where criminals, under the guise of investment and financial management, lured victims to purchase gold offline and then send it to a designated address. The illicit funds were then circulated multiple times through virtual currency exchanges and transfers to overseas accounts. The police remind that this new type of investment fraud has become a new trap, and the gold involved in the case is currently being gradually returned to the victims, with the investigation ongoing.

According to Cointelegraph, the Criminal Assets Bureau of the Irish National Police has announced that it has successfully cracked one of the 12 Bitcoin wallets associated with a convicted drug dealer, retrieving 500 Bitcoins worth over 35 million dollars.The wallet owner is Clifton Collins, who was sentenced to five years in prison in 2017 for cultivating and selling cannabis. Collins purchased 6,000 Bitcoins with drug trade proceeds between 2011 and 2012, storing them across 12 wallets, with the keys printed on an A4 sheet of paper and hidden in a fishing rod case, which were later lost when his landlord cleared the house.Earlier today, it was reported that the Irish drug dealer deposited 500 BTC into Coinbase after nearly 10 years, worth 35.44 million dollars.

According to market news, the domain name of the Bitcoin wallet Samourai Wallet, which was once famous for its privacy features, has now been taken over by scammers after being seized by the FBI, and is being used to host phishing sites to steal Bitcoin.Domain records show that the website was registered through a privacy protection service, and the current owner's identity is unknown. Multiple users on the X platform have reported the phishing site to the domain registrar NameCheap, requesting the site be shut down, but have not yet received a response.

According to a report by CCTV cited by Jinshi, on March 20 local time, U.S. officials stated that the U.S. military is deploying three warships and approximately 2,500 Marines to the Middle East. Previously, informed sources indicated that the troop increase would provide U.S. President Trump with more military options, including launching operations to "clear" the Strait of Hormuz, which would require deploying air and naval forces to the Iranian coastline.According to informed sources, the Trump administration is also considering deploying ground troops to Khark Island, the "lifeline" of Iranian oil exports. This plan aims to seize the island as leverage to force Iran to restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Khark Island is located in the northwestern part of the Persian Gulf, more than 20 kilometers from the Iranian coast, and is Iran's largest crude oil export base, with about 90% of Iran's oil exported from here.

According to ZDNET, the Korean National Tax Service plans to select a private custody company in the first half of the year to manage seized virtual assets.Previously, the National Tax Service leaked mnemonic phrases when announcing the results of on-site searches of delinquents, leading to the theft of seized virtual assets twice. As a result, it was decided to shift from self-custody to entrusting professional custody companies. The National Tax Service will select custody companies based on criteria such as security requirements, company size, and whether they are insured according to the "Virtual Asset User Protection Act."The relevant work will be handled by the "Virtual Asset Management System Upgrade Task Force," which was established on the 11th of this month. This task force also plans to improve the comprehensive workflow manual for the entire process of seizure, custody, and sale, and to expand professional training. The National Tax Service is also preparing to establish a new "Digital Asset Management Division," which will be responsible for the seizure, custody, sale, and taxation of virtual assets. The head of the task force stated that this is a method mainly adopted by developed countries and will be implemented in the first half of the year after consulting with experts.

According to a report by the Korea Unified News Agency, the Jongno Police Station in Seoul announced the dismantling of a money laundering crime group primarily composed of family members and relatives.The group operated an unregistered virtual asset exchange in Myeongdong, Seoul, converting cash obtained from telephone scams into Tether (USDT) and then transferring it overseas, with the money laundering scale reaching hundreds of billions of Korean won.In addition, the group also took advantage of rising precious metal prices to purchase gold through virtual assets across borders and then exported it for profit. The police have arrested 19 suspects, including the main money laundering perpetrator A (46 years old) and three others who have been detained. The overall leader of the scam organization, B (44 years old), has fled overseas, and the police are in pursuit. Currently, cash, silver balls, and gold bars totaling approximately 6 billion Korean won have been seized as criminal proceeds.

According to Axios, Trump is seeking to form a multinational coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and plans to announce it later this week. Four sources revealed that if the situation of oil tanker passage in the Persian Gulf continues to be obstructed, Trump is also considering seizing Iran's key oil transshipment hub, Khark Island, which would require the intervention of U.S. ground forces.Iran is currently blocking oil exports from Gulf countries while allowing tankers loaded with Iranian crude oil to pass freely. On Saturday, Trump stated on Truth Social that the U.S. and multiple countries would send warships to the Persian Gulf and called for participation from China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK. On Sunday, he mentioned on Air Force One that the U.S. is negotiating with seven countries, some of which have refused to participate.The White House refers to the plan as the "Hormuz Coalition," and no country has publicly committed to joining yet, but senior officials expect countries to announce support this week. On Sunday, Trump discussed the plan with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and warned NATO allies that failure to respond would have negative implications for NATO's future.Regarding Khark Island, it is located about 15 miles off the coast of Iran and accounts for approximately 90% of Iran's crude oil exports. Trump ordered strikes on military facilities on the island on Friday but did not target oil facilities. U.S. officials stated that seizing the island would constitute an economic blow to the Iranian regime but could also provoke Iran to retaliate against oil facilities in Gulf countries.

According to Bloomberg, this week, the lawyer of Chen Zhi, who is accused of being the head of a large-scale "pig butchering" scam gang, filed a motion in a New York federal court to dismiss the U.S. government's seizure of a batch of Bitcoin related to him. The lawyer argued that the prosecution's allegations regarding Chen Zhi's oversight of the scam operation lack specific evidence and are merely a vague description of the overall situation in Cambodia. They also questioned the timeline of the cryptocurrency seizure, stating that these Bitcoins could not possibly be the proceeds of fraud or money laundering.The U.S. Department of Justice announced the seizure of 127,271 Bitcoins controlled by Chen Zhi last October, which were valued at approximately $15 billion at the time. Chen Zhi had his nationality revoked by Cambodia in January this year and was extradited to China. Following sanctions from the U.S. and the U.K., over $1 billion in assets have been frozen or seized in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. Human rights organizations pointed out that after the closure of the scam operation, thousands of trafficked workers have flowed out from places like Sihanoukville, facing the risk of being sold again.

According to market news, Coinbase, in collaboration with Microsoft, Europol, and more than ten other organizations, successfully shut down the phishing-as-a-service platform Tycoon 2FA and seized 330 related domains.Since its launch in August 2023, Tycoon has had approximately 2,000 users, operating over 24,000 domains, and sending tens of millions of fraudulent emails each month to over 500,000 businesses worldwide. It bypassed multi-factor authentication by stealing session cookies and tokens, primarily targeting email and online service accounts such as Microsoft 365, Outlook, and Gmail.In this operation, Coinbase assisted in tracking the cryptocurrency payments funding Tycoon’s operations and supported the civil lawsuit to seize the domains. The main developer has been identified as Saad Fridi, a Pakistani national.

The Paraguayan National Electricity Company ANDE has signed a memorandum of understanding with the cryptocurrency infrastructure company Morphware to launch the country's first government-led Bitcoin mining pilot project using Bitcoin mining machines seized by law enforcement.The first phase will deploy approximately 1,500 confiscated mining machines and utilize local surplus hydroelectric resources for compliant mining. According to the arrangement, ANDE is responsible for the ownership and regulation of the mining site, while Morphware provides technical and operational support. For the mined Bitcoin, the government is discussing selling it for public expenditure or using financial instruments to hedge risks and hold part of the assets.

According to The Block, on-chain data shows that the U.S. government transferred approximately 0.3346 Bitcoin, valued at around $23,000, from a wallet marked as related to "Miguel Villanueva." Three transfers were sent to three different addresses, and the wallet balance has since been cleared.Currently, the U.S. government holds about 328,000 Bitcoins, worth over $22 billion. At the time of the transfer, the Treasury Secretary stated that the government's approach is to stop selling seized Bitcoins and instead incorporate these confiscated assets into the digital asset reserves.

According to Decrypt, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that the Fraud Center Strike Force has frozen and seized over $580 million in cryptocurrency from Southeast Asian crime networks.The task force was established in November 2025 and operates in coordination with agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, Secret Service, and Department of the Treasury, primarily targeting transnational crime networks operating "pig butchering" scams in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. Pirro stated that her office will seek to forfeit the related funds through legal processes and return them to victims to the greatest extent possible.Deddy Lavid, CEO of blockchain analytics platform Cyvers, told Decrypt that while the $580 million in seizures is operationally significant, it represents only a small fraction of the total activity in the global crypto fraud landscape. The company has identified approximately 27,000 active criminal groups involved in about $27.5 billion in fraud exposure.Pirro linked the Southeast Asian scam networks to organized crime in China, while Lavid pointed out that these networks are becoming increasingly decentralized, involving operators from multiple countries and cross-border money laundering hubs.

According to a report by South Korea's Asia Economy, the National Tax Service of South Korea released news materials regarding on-site searches of 124 high-profile, habitual tax evaders, revealing现场照片 that included the seized Ledger hardware wallet's mnemonic phrase, with no pixelation applied.Blockchain data expert Jaewoo Cho stated that shortly after the mnemonic phrase was leaked, all 4 million PRTG tokens stored in the wallet were transferred to an unidentified wallet early this morning, with estimated losses reaching approximately 6.4 billion won (about 4.8 million USD).Analysis shows that the thief first deposited a small amount of Ethereum to be used as transaction fees into the wallet, and then transferred all the tokens in three transactions.