In October 2015, 37 narcos flying from Puerto Rico to the US were discovered to be smuggling
a large amount of cleverly hidden cocaine.
Despite the inherent risk, smuggling is an extremely lucrative business.
Smuggled items can be as benign as French cheeses, to terrorist-funded heroin.
So we wanted to know, what are the most smuggled items in the world?
Well, one of the most restricted things to try and take over a border is an exotic animal.
And for good reason.
The world is a delicate ecosystem.
Distinct regions of the world rely on their collection of wildlife to maintain animal
populations and disease immunity.
Taking exotic animals from one location to another has the potential to wipe out indigenous
species that don’t have defenses against the foreign species.
The illegal wildlife trade is thought to bring in as much as $10 billion dollars every year,
and is most prevalent in China, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Indonesia, and parts of Africa.
Higher up on the list, illegal drugs are one of the most trafficked things in the world.
In particular, the United Nations has identified that cocaine and opiates like heroin make
up the largest portion of drug trade and crime.
The global cocaine market alone is estimated to bring in roughly $88 billion dollars a
year, with the opium market at about $65 billion.
Most of the world’s heroin comes from Afghanistan, while Colombia and Peru make a majority of
the cocaine trade.
And while drugs may be dangerous, the even more threatening and lucrative market is the
one for illegal weapons.
Firearms, missile components, ammunition, and everything in between.
Because small handguns and ammunition are easy to hide and extremely durable, they are
massively trafficked around the world.
While it is difficult to calculate the global market, it has been estimated to be at least
$60 billion a year.
In 2013, the UN created a “landmark” treaty in an attempt to crack down on arms trafficking,
but it is still a major problem worldwide.
War torn African countries are some of the most common destinations for illegal firearms.
But aside from wildlife, drugs, and guns, one of the most smuggled items in the world
isn’t an item at all.
It’s people.
Human trafficking has been considered the fastest growing criminal market, with people
being enslaved for sex, labor, and even their organs.
It is estimates that more than 20 million people are trafficked in forced labor alone.
Although it generates less revenue than guns and drugs, human trafficking brings in an
estimated $32 billion dollars a year.
Although smuggling is occasionally mild, most of the world’s smuggled objects and people
contribute directly to unavoidable human rights issues.
Laws preventing trafficking are usually instituted to help those who suffer the most from drug
addiction, war, and slavery.
Is it exactly these disenfranchised people who never see a penny of the overall trade,
and are viciously exploited.
Much of the world’s smuggled drugs can be traced back to drug cartels.
To learn more about them, check out our video.
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