Buzz
Illicit markets drain billions from the global economy annually, with most of the goods being traded being illegal. Yet, beyond the thriving exchanges of drugs, weapons, and human trafficking, there are numerous smaller but highly lucrative markets, many involving goods that aren't typically associated with the 'black market.'
10. Puppies
In the UK, the demand for designer dog breeds has surged. Popular breeds like the Yorkshire Terrier can be sold for as much as £2,000 by legitimate breeders, but criminal groups offer them for much less after trafficking them from puppy mills in Ireland or Eastern Europe, sometimes for as low as 100 euros each.
Naturally, the conditions these dogs endure in such mills are appalling. Deceased animals are left to decompose in cages beside the living ones, and puppies are sold without essential vaccinations or microchips. In the UK, the maximum penalty for animal abuse is a mere six months in prison, yet the illegal puppy market is worth around £100 million annually.
9. Dissertations
While academic dishonesty is prevalent in higher education worldwide, it has reached alarming proportions in Russia. In recent years, more than 1,000 influential and prominent Russians have been caught plagiarizing academic work during their college years.
The revelations began with a group of activists called Dissernet, which was established in 2013. Using plagiarism detection software, they began scanning dissertations across academia. So far, they’ve uncovered over 5,600 cases of plagiarism and published over 1,300 reports. A number of companies masquerading as 'academic consulting' businesses sell the stolen work on professional-looking websites. Those exposed for using these services to earn degrees come from all sectors, including bureaucrats, police and prosecutorial officials, university leaders, and even the head of Russia’s top investigative body. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself has been accused of copying sections of his 2006 Ph.D. thesis.
8. Amber
The worldwide market for amber is valued at over $1 billion annually, with 90 percent of the world's reserves located in Kaliningrad, Russia. This region, however, suffers from economic hardship, where jobs are few and wages are insufficient, prompting roughly half of its workforce to engage in illegal amber mining to make ends meet.
A local lawmaker estimates the illegal amber extraction at 350–400 tons annually, about ten times the output of legal operations. High-quality amber can be worth more than its weight in gold, and pieces containing trapped insects can fetch five- or even six-figure prices.
7. Tiger Parts
The demand for tiger body parts is rising sharply in several Asian nations. While these parts were once primarily used for medicinal purposes, the trend has shifted to luxury items such as tiger bone wine, made by soaking a tiger's skeleton in rice wine, and, of course, their skins.
In Thailand, one temple houses over 140 endangered tigers, earning more than $3 million annually through tourism. Although this practice has long been controversial, the temple has recently been implicated in the illegal tiger trade. Even though Thai law mandates that all tigers must be microchipped, a former employee disclosed that the chips are often removed, and the tigers are sold. A subsequent investigation uncovered that several tigers were missing, others lacked microchips, and the frozen carcass of a dead tiger was found.
6. Manuka Honey
Manuka honey is made by bees that gather pollen from the manuka bush (in New Zealand) or the jellybush tree (in Australia). Recently, it has gained attention for its alleged medicinal and antibacterial benefits. The indigenous people of New Zealand used it to treat wounds. Since it’s only found in these two regions, Manuka honey is quite pricey—typically around $80 for a jar.
There are no illegal honey farms, but organized groups of thieves have been shamelessly stealing Manuka honey from wherever they can. In Sydney, Australia, this has turned into a widespread problem over the past year. Retailers like supermarkets and salons have reported a huge increase in the theft of large quantities of Manuka honey, causing local businesses to lose thousands of dollars.
5. Botox
Only eight pharmaceutical companies globally are licensed to produce Botox, the widely used anti-wrinkle treatment, which is also effective in treating migraines and other conditions. This limited supply keeps prices relatively stable, but when a mysterious man started appearing in salons in St. Petersburg, Russia, offering Botox at an unusually low price, merchants grew suspicious—yet they were still tempted to buy.
The man, known as 'Rakhman,' opened the door to a massive illegal market for Botox clones in a country where the treatment is legally available, even from non-medical professionals without a prescription. The active ingredient, botulinum toxin type A, is incredibly deadly in all but the tiniest doses. The elusive vendor often mentioned a supplier in Chechnya, suggesting an illicit production network capable of supplying the potent toxin to terrorist groups.
4. Execution Drugs
In 2015, Pfizer, a major pharmaceutical company, acquired Hospira, the only US-based manufacturer of drugs used in executions. Less than a year later, Pfizer imposed a sweeping ban on the use of its products for this purpose. This was seen as a significant victory for opponents of the death penalty, but it overlooked the hundreds of planned executions in states that were unable to obtain the necessary drugs.
This shortage led to widespread illegal importation of execution drugs from abroad. A batch of sodium thiopental, an anesthetic obtained from an unregulated British supplier by Arizona officials, has been linked to several botched executions in at least two states. Arizona even loaned some of the drug to other states' corrections departments struggling to secure it. The DEA later confiscated Georgia’s entire stockpile after a series of disastrous and excruciatingly painful executions.
3. Pangolins
If you've never heard of pangolins, you're not alone. These small, scaly creatures, native to sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, are nocturnal, solitary animals with no other living relatives. Their scales are in high demand worldwide for use in traditional medicine, beauty products, and even as a delicacy in certain cultures.
Many pangolin species come from regions where there are little to no laws protecting them, which has led to a massive increase in illegal trade. A single shipment seized by Hong Kong police in June 2016 had a black market value of over $1 million, but it was just a small portion of the ongoing illegal pangolin trafficking. During the same period, the International Fund for Animal Welfare reported that 11,000 pangolins were poached, making them the most illegally trafficked mammal on Earth.
2. Fossils
In April 2012, U.S. authorities apprehended Eric Prokopi, suspected of operating a one-man black market for dinosaur fossils. A frequent visitor to excavation sites in Mongolia, Prokopi had begun smuggling his discoveries into the U.S. via Britain years earlier, mistakenly believing his activities were lawful. One of his more lucrative sales included a fully reassembled dinosaur skeleton, which he auctioned for $1 million to a real estate tycoon in Manhattan.
This sale, however, caught the attention of Mongolian officials. Once Prokopi was arrested, he proved to be a goldmine of information, revealing the extensive underground trade in dinosaur fossils. His cooperation led to investigations across three U.S. states. Despite facing up to 17 years in prison for smuggling, Prokopi received only a sentence of a little over three months.
1. Rabies Vaccines
In the United States, rabies results in perhaps one or two fatalities annually. In stark contrast, China sees thousands of deaths from this animal-transmitted disease every year, and the rampant trade in counterfeit vaccines plays a significant role in this tragic situation.
Taobao, China’s version of eBay, is flooded with sellers offering inexpensive vaccines, claiming they are government-approved. However, the government denies that any licensed vendors are authorized to sell on the platform. These vaccines, produced in unregulated labs by unidentified manufacturers, vary widely in effectiveness, with some being utterly fraudulent. In 2016, authorities apprehended dozens of individuals involved in a criminal network that trafficked up to $90 million worth of these dubious vaccines.
