Posts by ICAIEpress
Among the Winners of an Inflationary Global Economy and Higher Prices of Consumer Goods: Counterfeiters and Criminal Networks
Inflation can trigger a boom in underground and black markets, directly increasing profit margins for organized crime and illicit commodity networks. As the cost of living rises, the demand for cheaper alternatives and off-market goods increases, incentivizing criminal organizations and fraudsters to exploit, steal, manufacture illegally, smuggle, and sell illicit or counterfeited items across borders…
Read MoreIllicit Trade of Counterfeit Medicines in Mexico: Diversification by Cartels into Pharmaceuticals Expands the Lucrative Illicit Trade in the Americas.
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, 7 MAY 2026 /ICAIE NEWS/ — ICAIE releases new May 2026 Infographic on illicit trade of counterfeit medicines in Mexico and the Americas by the drug cartels that have also been designated by the United States and Canada as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) for their…
Read MoreHubs of Illicit Trade (HIT) Project
Since 2022, an international multi-disciplinary team of experts has been carrying out research on hubs of illicit trade and related risk zones and crime convergence points to help stakeholders better understand how to target and disrupt them. The first Hubs of Illicit Trade Project (HIT 1) analyzed four well-known hubs of illicit trade to understand…
Read MoreICAIE Supports the Corporate Transparency Act (ACT); Opposes Repeal of CTA via H.R. 425 that Weakens U.S. National Security and Further Empowers Bad Actors and Threat Networks
20 April 2026 The Honorable French Hill Chairman House Committee on Financial Services U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Maxine Waters Ranking Member House Committee on Financial Services U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Hill and Ranking Member Waters, On behalf of the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE)…
Read MoreThe Twin Devils of Global Illicit Trade and Shadow Economy
A Convergence of Harms that Impact Global Markets An incredible busy week in Washington DC attending numerous meetings and side events during the 2026 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG), Semafor World Economy, Americas Society/Council of the Americas, including numerous high-level bilateral discussions with senior officials and…
Read MoreHow big are Criminalized (Illicit) Markets Internationally and the Global Shadow Economy?
How big are Criminalized (Illicit) Markets Internationally and the Global Shadow Economy? In 2025, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that the Global GDP was estimated to reach approximately $117 Trillion in nominal terms. According to ICAIE’s own research in the past two years, the global illegal economy consisting of an array of illicit markets and illicit…
Read MoreFrom Goods to Money: The Financial Architecture of Illicit Trade; Illicit Shadows Investigative Docuseries: StoryTelling/Powerful Narratives on Why Fighting Illicit Economies Matters
From Goods to Money: The Financial Architecture of Illicit Trade (OECD Forum on Countering Illicit Trade, Session 4 – Panel Discussion), March 18, 2026, OECD Conference Centre, Paris, France: This OECD Forum panel examined the financial underpinnings of illicit trade, exploring how illicit supply chains are enabled, financed, and concealed across borders and sectors. Beyond…
Read MoreWhy illicit cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and illegally-manufactured tobacco products (vapes/e-cigs) continue to be lucrative globally for criminals and other threat networks
Greed begets criminality. Illicit trade enables criminals to use their dirty profits to not only build their illicit wealth but to finance a greater cycle of greed crimes that destabilizes communities around the world. From Chile to Panama, South Africa and Australia to across North America, Europe and South Asia, criminals, terrorists, and smuggling networks…
Read MoreToday’s War Profiteers and Merchants of Violence Make Billions of Dollars from Armed Conflicts and Human Bloodshed
Is there a global conflict-crime nexus? Bad actors and threat networks not only expand today’s global illegal economy; kleptocrats, illicit traffickers, transnational criminal organizations, criminal entrepreneurs, and greedy enablers, et al, also profit from wars, armed conflicts, and fomented violence around the world. Tens of billions of dollars are made every year by bad actors…
Read MoreThe Dark Forces Shaping the Global Criminal Underworld, Museum of Illicit Shadows (MIS) & Project Helix – Predictive Convergence System (PCS)
ICAIE and Sam RAD/RADOC Original Creations had very successful briefings and meetings in Paris at the OECD this past week informing new partners and communities on our ILLICIT SHADOWS investigative docuseries, starting with Season I Episode on the Chemical (Fentanyl) Cartels in North America and their shadow economies now streaming on YouTube. We also shared…
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