A smuggler was charged by authorities in California for stealing endangered iguanas from a nature preserve in Fiji. According to law enforcement officials, Jereme James smuggled the iguanas into America through his prosthetic leg. He previously sold three iguanas on the black market for $32,000.
Author: havocscope
Illegal Adoptions in Guatemala
Voice of America News has an article highlighting the black market trade in adoptions that is currently taking place in Guatemala. Every year, thousands of people from the United States visit the Central American nation of Guatemala, not just for tourism, but to adopt babies. Last year, more than 4,000 Guatemalan children were adopted by… Continue reading Illegal Adoptions in Guatemala
Human Smuggling to Europe
More than 50,000 people from Africa reached the southern shores of Europe in 2006. Those that paid a human smuggler to guide them into Europe paid the smugglers between $2,000 to$5,000, depending on the origins of the person.
Counterfeit Seizures in Japan
For the time period of January to June 2007, the National Police Agency in Japan seized 331,136 counterfeit items, a record for a six month period. The total figure seized is already higher then the total number of seizures in all of 2006. 45.7 percent of the counterfeit goods were from China.
Top Ten downloading schools in the U.S.
The figures are based on notice of violation letters sent by the Recording Industry Association of America. The figures were based during the time period of September 2006 to mid-February 2007. According to the Christian Science Monitor, here are the top ten schools that illegally download music from the Internet: 1. Ohio University 2. Purdue… Continue reading Top Ten downloading schools in the U.S.
Percentage of Donors Receiving Compensation for Organs
Up to 10 percent of all kidney transfers operations are estimated to involve donors who received financial compensation for their organ. (Cost of Kidney Transplants on the black market.) Source: “FACTBOX: The who, what, where, and why of organ trafficking,” Reuters, August 6, 2007.
Fake Drug Seizures in Finland in First Half of 2007
In the first part of 2007, Custom officials in Finland seized about 140,000 doses of counterfeit drugs.
Officials believe that a majority of the fake drugs are passed through Finland an on to the world black market.
Potential Losses from Fake Cuban Cigars
Hundred of millions of dollars are believed to be lost to counterfeit Cuban cigars annually.
Human smuggler usage on the US-Mexico border
In the late 1990s, 90 percent of illegal immigrants in the US from Mexico were believed to have paid a human smuggler to guide them over the border.
Illegal Drug Exports from North Korea
Drug trafficking by North Korea generates $500 Million for the state, making it the world’s third largest opium trafficker and the world’s sixth largest heroin trafficker.