Worldwide, an estimated one million small arms are either lost or stolen each year and often end up for sale in the black market.
Category: Transnational Crime
News and statistics on transnational crime activities. Monitors organized crime, arms trafficking and other illegal markets.
Half a million weapons lost from small-scale burglary in US
Source: Rachel Stohl, “The Tangled Web of Illicit Arms Trafficking,” Center for American Progress, October 14, 2004, (accessed: November 15, 2006).
60 percent of illegal small arms started out as legal transfers
Source: Larry Kahaner, AK-47: The Weapon That Changed The Face Of War, (New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2007), pg. 177.
Price for AK-47s in Iraq
In Iraq, the prices of small arms have increased since the U.S. invasion. According to a report by the New York Times, Kalashnikovs were priced between $75 to $150 in early 2003. By late 2006, the prices increased to the range of $210 to $650. In some areas of Iraq, the price has increased to $800, with compact Kalashnikovs favored by Osama bin Laden selling for as much as $2000.
Cost to Buy AK-47 Bullets in Iraq
According to charity Oxfam, bullets are being sold on the black market in Iraq at a cost of 15 cents to 45 cents per bullet. Worldwide, up to10 to 14 billion bullets are produced, an average of 33 million per day. The market in small arms ammunition is worth between $2 to $3 Billion per… Continue reading Cost to Buy AK-47 Bullets in Iraq
Price of Rocket Propelled Launcher in Iraq
In 2007, a rocket propelled grenade launder was being sold on the black market in in Iraq for $100. Grenades for the launder were being sold to insurgents for $50 per grenade. The Russian model of the Ak-47 was being sold for close to $500 in 2007. Back in 2003, the gun was being sold… Continue reading Price of Rocket Propelled Launcher in Iraq
Illegal Arms in Iraq during US Occupation
The Center for Defense Information (CDI) has reported on the thriving black market that has existed throughout the U.S. occupation. In a December 2006 report, the CDI stated that “weapons originally supplied by the U.S. and its allies to the Iraqi police have been showing up on the streets and on the black market, likely diverted by theft, loss, or by officers who kept their weapons after quitting the police force”.
10,579 US guns seized in Mexico in 2006
According to the Mexican Department of National Defense, 10,579 guns were seized in Mexico that originated from the United States. This figure is up from the 3,214 guns that were seized in 2002.
Gun smuggling from the US to Mexico
As many as 2,000 guns purchased in the US are smuggled into Mexico each day. Source: Manuel Roig-Franzia, “U.S. Guns Behind Cartel Killing in Mexico,” Washington Post, October 29, 2007.
Earnings of corrupt Mexican Custom Officials
According to the Washington Post, corrupt Mexican Customs Officials can earn up to $1 million for allowing large shipments of guns to be smuggled into Mexico.