Illegal traffics : the top of shame

Here is what we could call the "top of shame".

1. Drugs

Today drug production, smuggling and distribution have exploded into a sophisticated multinational business structure, estimated between $300 and 400 billion worldwide. Whereas more than 60.000 people were killed in Mexico over the last 10 years, a drug baron was arrested and $22 billion were found in his house. That's impressive how far cupidity can lead you...

2. Counterfeiting

The trade of counterfeit goods amounts up to about $250 billion annually, without medicines ! Shoes, perfumes, cellphones, bags... everything is counterfeited ! And, as you can guess, they are not made in classic factories. Most of the time counterfeit goods are produced in illegal ones by workers forced to do it. Counterfeiting is directly linked to modern slavery !

"Buy a fake, risk death, support slavery"

3. Fake medicines

Alone, it represents a market of $200 billion. If it was coupled to counterfeited good, counterfeinting would be the most lucrative trafficking in the world ! That's also the most dangerous and the most shameful. People who buy drugs or Ray Ban glasses for 10 dollars know what they do, an ill person who buy fake medicines doesn't. Making money with fake medicines is exactly like selling death to people unwittingly.

4. Human trafficking

The industry has an estimated market value of around $36 billion in 2013 (compared to 32 in 2012...). Worldwide, there are 2.5 million victims of human trafficking from poor countries such as India, Pakistan, Congo or even Brazil, the so-called 6th world's largest economy. But every country is concerned, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims.

5. Illegal fishing

With "only" $23 billion, illegal fishing could appear as not significant but we shouldn't consider it only through an economic point of view. All these fishes are then sold illegaly and less expensive than the ones of real fishermen who need it to live. Moreover, as I wrote it in antoher article, illegal fishing is most of the time realized by modern slaves !

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Walmart, Tesco, Morrisons, Carrefour, Aldi UK and Costco among retailers responding to revelations of slavery in prawn supply chains - SlaveryFight.over-blog.com

Fantastic inquiry by The Guardian about the Thai fishing ships & prawn supply chains. A six-month investigation has established that large numbers of men bought and sold like animals and held ...

http://slaveryfight.over-blog.com/2014/06/walmart-tesco-morrisons-carrefour-aldi-uk-and-costco-among-retailers-responding-to-revelations-of-slavery-in-prawn-supply-chains.htm