International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) / ICAIE Labs

Should Illicit Fentanyl be Classified as a WMD??Building on earlier efforts by several?Attorneys?General in some states, along with interest by some?Congressional leaders, there are reports that the current Administration may classify fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD).?While?deaths from opioids and fentanyl overdose?nationwide plunged more than?33% from the peak in?October 2023 in 2024,?it remains true that illegal fentanyl/fentanyl precursor chemicals coming from China (and India) -- and trafficked by Mexican cartels -- have killed?hundreds of thousands of?Americans?in the past five (5) years alone.? But does fentanyl warrant a chemical weapon/WMD classification when used by state and non-state adversaries including transnational criminal?organizations (TCOs) and?terrorist?groups including in a possible "chemical weapon" attack against the U.S.?? According to the defense and law enforcement communities,?a WMD is a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological or other device that is intended to harm a large number of people.?Some experts fear that fentanyl could be weaponized to devastating effect through its distribution in air and water systems. Designating fentanyl as a WMD would allow national security officials to more effectively leverage a broad range of national powers, legal authorities and?resources?to an expanded counter-narcotics mission?including employing Department of Defense (DOD) operations and IC capabilities and capacities and?building?newer?technologies?to bring to the fight to?detect shipments of fentanyl and drones to track illicit movements of contraband and criminal traffickers.?A "WMD" designation would also open up new tools for prosecuting the illicit distribution of the drug. From a diplomatic perspective, such a WMD designation could also curtail law enforcement cooperation from China, India, Mexico (even Canada in ongoing trade row) if these countries are accused of enabling WMD terrorism, sponsoring WMD trafficking, and sovereignty impacts as the US follows illicit supply chains inside their borders and territories. Another growing concern by numerous communities across the U.S. is that an array of new national security actions need to be grounded in the rule of law and applications consistent with the U.S. Constitution.?The fear by some experts is policy over-reach and constitutional abuse on due process and civil liberties may do greater harm to long-term national interests, and U.S. foreign policy as noted above. Illicit #fentanyl (and other chemical weapons) will continue to pose a major threat to the health and safety of Americans and to U.S. national security. While I do support more robust actions against TCOs and cartels, is classifying fentanyl as a #WMD needed? given existing tools and authorities that a President can currently invoke. Unclear. Nonetheless, the U.S. Government will have to carefully balance all national security considerations and equities.

Attending the 2025 Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) Symposium this week to learn more about the USG's Total Defense framework and its role in Integrated Deterrence, bringing together experts and practitioners to discuss strategies that enhance national security and resilience. I will also participate in the role of civil society & national strategies in countering malign influence and hybrid threats; and share-networking on ICAIE's work on threat convergence in a shadowy underworld, where geo-security malign influence operations, economic manipulations, and human struggles converge with ecosystems of criminality and strategic corruption, painting a vivid picture (illicit economies of the shadowverse) of a reality that, while hidden, impacts us all. International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) / ICAIE Labs By integrating social, governmental, and military capabilities, nations can prepare for and respond to threats effectively and enhance our nation’s lethality. United States Department of Defense #threatintelligence #threatconvergence #IW #grayzones #GPC #maligninfluence #strategiccorruption #organizedcrime #hybridwarfare

May find of interest, Amazon's fifth annual Brand Protection Report, which details their continuing efforts to protect customers, brands, selling partners, and online store from counterfeit, fraud, and other forms of abuse. The full new report can be accessed below. A few key highlights from the Amazon 2024 report: Amazon enhanced their supply chain protection through enhanced features of their serialization program - Transparency - including improved interoperability. Amazon verified more than 2.5 billion product units as genuine and enrolled over 88,000 brands worldwide, making product serialization more accessible than ever. Since its launch in 2020, Amazon's Counterfeit Crimes Unit (CCU) has pursued more than 24,000 bad actors through litigation and criminal referrals to law enforcement. Amazon also expanded their brand protection programs globally, launching Brand Registry and automated protections in Ireland ahead of Amazon.ie's launch. Amazon continues to build on their work on consumer awareness campaigns, launching the 'Challenge the Fake' competition with INDICAM and H-FARM College in Italy. Amazon reached over 600 Gen Z students, while expanding collaboration with the EUIPO to raise IP awareness among SMEs. https://lnkd.in/eCZPcndK #Amazon #onlinemarketplaces #ecommerce #brandprotection #IPR #counterfeiting #publicprivatepartnerships

Wow, 2025 has been a whirlwind so far! Here are a few highlights from the first few months: 1) I had the opportunity to work as a?Technical Advisory Services Intern?at Democracy International, a leading international development organization. Though my time was cut short due to recent U.S. Executive Orders, I gained incredible insight into how election support, civic education, accountability mechanisms, and localization strategies are designed and implemented across Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. I am grateful to Mahabat Alymkulova, HABIBA AKTER, Claire Robertson, and the entire DI team for the important work they are continuing to pursue–upholding U.S. foreign policy goals through innovative, locally grounded democracy assistance programs. 2) I’m currently working across two divisions within the Organización de los Estados Americanos: Department Against Transnational Organized Crime (DTOC)?under the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, and Department of Social Inclusion (DSI)?under the Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity. People often ask how I balance these very different portfolios–but I believe that security and social rights/equity must work hand in hand. For example, regarding migration: -DSI?protects the rights of migrants and displaced people, particularly in adapting Member State's migration legal processes amidst evolving deportation policies and humanitarian concerns. -DTOC?addresses threats such as human trafficking and illicit trade, promoting coordination between law enforcement across the region. Together, these efforts reveal how much various themes of governance, security, and human rights intersect to ensure stability and security for all. A special thank you to Betilde Munoz-Pogossian and Gaston Schulmeister for welcoming me to your teams! 3) Co-organizing Georgetown University's Third Annual Democracy and Governance Research Symposium alongside my incredible friend, Tala Alahmar, has been a highlight of my second year. I also had the chance to collaborate with Saro? Rakotoson to design promotional graphics–combining creative work with my passion for democracy and governance. Though I couldn’t attend due to an untimely flu, it was rewarding to see the results of our months of planning. A heartfelt thank you to our judges–Annika Silva-Leander, Eric Bjornlund, Katie LaRoque, and Brian Joseph–and to Gabriella Jensen, who contributed to the event and will take the lead as Symposium Coordinator next year! Overall, thank you to everyone who’s shared a coffee, offered career advice, or simply reassured me during the chaos of being an almost-grad; your support means the world. Enjoy a few snapshots of these various memories, I'm excited to share some new upcoming projects soon enough!

Released this week: ODNI 2025 Annual Threat Assessment: A diverse set of foreign actors are targeting U.S. health and safety, critical infrastructure, industries, wealth, and government. State adversaries and their proxies are also trying to weaken and displace U.S. economic and military power in their regions and across the globe. Both state and nonstate actors pose multiple immediate threats to the Homeland and U.S. national interests. Terrorist and transnational criminal organizations are directly threatening our citizens. #Russia, #China, #Iran and #NorthKorea—individually and collectively—are challenging U.S. interests in the world by attacking or threatening others in their regions, with both asymmetric and conventional hard power tactics, and promoting alternative systems to compete with the United States, primarily in trade, finance, and security. Transnational criminals, terrorists, and other nonstate actors are threatening and impacting the lives of U.S. citizens, the security and prosperity of the Homeland, and U.S. strength at home and abroad. Some transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) are producing and trafficking large amounts of illicit drugs that are imperiling American lives and livelihoods. They are conducting other illegal activities that challenge U.S. security, such as human trafficking, cyber operations, money laundering, and inciting violence. Mexico-based TCOs—including the Sinaloa Cartel and the New Generation Jalisco Cartel—remain the dominant producers and suppliers of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and South American-sourced cocaine, for the U.S. market. Profit-motivated transnational criminals are using corruption, intimidation, and enabling technologies to expand their illegal activities into new markets and to diversify their sources of income, which increase their resiliency to U.S. and international law enforcement and financial regulatory efforts. TCOs are defrauding U.S. citizens, businesses, and government programs, while laundering billions of dollars of illicit proceeds through U.S. and international financial institutions. TCOs sometimes outsource money laundering operations and investments to individuals and networks with legal and banking expertise to circumvent financial regulations. Office of the Director of National Intelligence #Threatintelligence #threatconvergence #nationalsecurity #GPC #organizedcrime #fentanyl Find the March 2025 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community at: https://lnkd.in/emS7mGpj

Celebrating 20 years this month since I was finishing my last course paper (and emerging thesis) at The United States Army War College on threat convergence and leveraging full spectrum capabilities to tackle horizonal national security threats across borders. My two-year USAWC studies were awesome: religiously read and digested every assigned course material(s) -- and more -- and reflected on ways to use learned military doctrine to work within the interagency to help develop more robust national security applications that resulted in more strategic national strategies, programs, and initiatives to counter transnational organized crime, terrorism, and other illicit threats over the years during my time at U.S. Department of State, National Security Council (NSC) policy groups, and after I left the USG, via public-private partnerships within the international community. Even in today's ICAIE approaches on countering illicit economies and other converging market risks and security vectors, the #threatintelligence and #strategicforesight frameworks that I learned at USAWC continue to serve our partners well in navigating across today's more complex geopolitical environments by smartly employing whole-of-society strategies and collective action to confront a spectrum of inter-connected threats, bad actors, and malign influence networks. In the coming years, ICAIE looks forward to share-networking on our innovative work on threat convergence approaches in a shadowy underworld, where geo-security malign influence operations, economic manipulations, and human struggles converge with ecosystems of criminality and strategic corruption, painting a vivid picture (illicit economies of the shadowverse) of a reality that, while hidden, impacts us all. A big Hooah! to the graduating USAWC Class of 2025 in June; and welcoming the new USAWC 2026 Class in the Fall. #strategicleadership #USAWC (photo: Class of 2005 and my 2-year seminar group; old and new Root Hall which opened in 2023.)

Look forward to particiating this week at the 2025 Irregular Warfare Center (IWC) Symposium: This year’s symposium explores the Total Defense framework and its role in Integrated Deterrence, bringing together experts and practitioners to discuss strategies that enhance national security and resilience. I will also participate in the role of civil society & national strategies in countering malign influence and hybrid threats; and share-networking on ICAIE's work on threat convergence in a shadowy underworld, where geo-security malign influence operations, economic manipulations, and human struggles converge with ecosystems of criminality and strategic corruption, painting a vivid picture (illicit economies of the shadowverse) of a reality that, while hidden, impacts us all. By integrating social, governmental, and military capabilities, nations can prepare for and respond to threats effectively and enhance our nation’s lethality. #threatintelligence #threatconvergence #IW #grayzones #GPC #maligninfluence #strategiccorruption #organizedcrime #hybridwarfare

Un privilegio que el Sr. Ministro de Interior de #Uruguay Sr. carlos negro, la subsecretaria Gabriela Valverde, y el Prosecretario de la Presidencia Jorge Díaz nos recibieron a mi persona, Pablo Zeballos, acompa?ados por la representante de la Organización de los Estados Americanos , Claudia Barrientos para conversar a fondo el tema de crimen transnacional en el Cono Sur y el imacto en Uruguay. Presentamos nuestro nuevo estudio con Fundación Taeda sobre el Tren de Aragua y el estudio con International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) / ICAIE Labs sobre la Cuarta Ola de Crimen Transnacional en America Latina. Quedamos muy agradecidos por el interés y el intercambio de ideas sobre un tema de vida y muerte para las democracias.

Where are the Illicit Economies of The Shadowverse??The Illicit Economies of the Shadowverse are all around us, everywhere. They know no borders. And they encompass the intricate, often unseen networks of illicit trade and criminalized economies that silently shape our world. Make an impact today: Support our mission and docuseries by making a donation at: https://lnkd.in/dhrcnUBG #EnterTheShadowverse This investigative docuseries dives deep into the dark side of global markets, uncovering the clandestine criminal operations that connect disparate locations and seemingly unrelated activities. From the dense forests of the Amazon to the bustling ports and free trade zones around the world, from the cyber battlegrounds of Eastern Europe to the hidden safe financial havens of the West, the Illicit Economies of The Shadowverse reveal the complex web of interactions and influences that drive illicit trade and impact global security. Each episode is a journey into the heart of a shadowy underworld, where geo-security malign influence operations, economic manipulations, and human struggles converge with corruption and criminality, painting a vivid picture of a reality that, while hidden, impacts us all. Our goal is not just to expose the hidden dangers of this parallel universe, but to shine a light on The Illicit Economies of the Shadowverse so that, through understanding and awareness, we can collectively illuminate the world, bringing clarity, disrupting and prosecuting the fight, and change to the obscured corners that impact us all. #EverythingIsConnected https://lnkd.in/dhrcnUBG International Coalition Against Illicit Economies Foundation International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) / ICAIE Labs Sam Rad ?? (Samantha Radocchia) RADOC · RAD Original Creations #illiciteconomies #illicittrade #fentanyl #naturalresources #counterfeits #humantrafficking #threatintelligence #socialimpact #innovation #technology #future #futurism

It has been an honor to serve as the 1st Chair of the Business at OECD (BIAC) Anti-Illicit Trade Expert Group (AITEG) for the past 6 years including this week in Paris at meetings of OECD Working Party on Countering Illicit Trade (WP-CIT) and related Forum, helping lead both BIAC and USCIB members to establish the AITEG and realize our very dynamic OECD-BIAC public-private partnership (PPP) to counter illicit trade and working to advance an array of our innovative projects and work streams. The future of the WP-CIT and AITEG partnership is incredibly bright and I am very confident that its strategic collaborations with AITEG will lead to greater heights and many more pragmatic achievements. I would like to warmly thank Hanni Rosenbaum, Emma Hede Brierley, Minami Kakuda, Megan M. Giblin, Whitney Baird, Peter Robinson for their tremendous support as well as all of the other incredible colleagues at BIAC and USCIB over the years. It too was an equal honor to have also served as the 1st Chair of the OECD - OCDE Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade of the High-Level Risk Forum (HLRF) for 6 years dating back from 2012-2017, during my days at the U.S. Department of State, with the support of OECD member states and great OECD TF-CIT Leads: Jack Radisch and Piotr Stryszowski, and so many other wonderful staff at the OECD. U.S. Mission to the OECD I applaud Marion Jansen, Chris Martin, the WP-CIT Bureau, for their leadership in helping elevate this important sub-fora within the OECD, and all members of both TF-CIT and WP-CIT for helping make our work a higher priority and bringing attention to these important issues more globally. I will still continue to be active as a champion of whole-of-society frameworks at the OECD and towards greater collective action across communities in advancing the important work of the OECD WP-CIT and its multi-dimensional partnerships within the international community. #OECD #BusinessatOECD #BIAC #IllicitTrade