illicit trade
Illegal Sand Mining Is Creating an Ecological Crisis in Bangladesh
Sand is at the center of a vast multinational criminal trade that's having a catastrophic impact on the health of the planet.
Why Counterfeits Cost More Than You Think
If consumers knew the dark side, they might think again about buying those cheap knockoffs.
The True Cost of Online Marketplaces
“E-commerce is one of the main ways illicit goods can enter the consumer market.”
How Criminals Traffic Drugs, Goods, and Humans By Boat
Can smart technology help track the 20 million shipping containers moving the world's goods?
These Traffickers Are Smuggling Legal Weed From the US Into Mexico
As Mexico's cannabis legalization law continues to stall, these smugglers have found a local market for primo California weed south of the border.
Fentanyl Is Wreaking Havoc in Tijuana. Is the Rest of Mexico Next?
The use of fentanyl in Mexico is growing—and leading to a spike in overdoses and homicides.
How Drug Cartels Infiltrate Customs and Get Rich Off Cars From the US
Cross border schemes around cars crossing the U.S/Mexico international line show how Mexico's powerful criminal organizations are profiting from much more than just drugs.
Cartels Are Turning Mexico’s Indigenous Marathoners Into Drug Mules
Stricken by drought, the famed Indigenous Raramuri are falling prey to cartels, who use champion runners to ferry drugs into the U.S.