Underground markets pump billions of dollars out of the global economy each year. But besides the thriving trade in drugs, weapons and people, there are many small but very profitable products that do not immediately come to mind when you think about the black market.
Here are the top 7 amazing things, services and animals sold on the black market.
7. Puppies
Puppies of popular designer breeds, such as chorki (chihuahua + Yorkshire terrier), can bring up to 2000 euros to the breeder, but they can be purchased illegally much cheaper.
Of course, the conditions in which these animals are kept by dealers are deplorable. Dead animals remain in the cages to rot along with the living ones, and puppies are sold without vaccinations and microchips.
6. Scientific work
In the past few years, more than 1000 famous Russians have been caught plagiarizing scientific work. In 2013, a network of activists appeared, calling itself Dissernet. It uses plagiarism detection software in dissertations; to date, it has collected over 5600 plagiarism specimens and published reports on more than 1300 of them. Even Vladimir Putin was accused of plagiarism while writing his Ph.D. thesis, part of which was allegedly rewritten from the article “Strategic Planning and Politics” by professors William King and David Cleland.
5. Amber
The global amber market exceeds billion dollars a year, and 90% of the world's reserves are in the Kaliningrad region. Flawless pieces in the literal sense of the word are worth more than their weight in gold, and even if an insect is found in amber, a stone can be estimated at a five- or six-figure sum.
4. Tiger body parts
Previously, this product was mainly used for medicinal purposes, but now the emphasis has shifted to luxury goods such as tiger skins and wine made from tiger bones. For its production, the tiger skeleton is soaked in rice wine.
In the west of Thailand there is a Tiger monastery, where several tigers live (as well as more than 300 other animals). A former monastery employee said that the chips that all tigers must have under Thai laws are often cut out and tigers are illegally sold. A subsequent investigation revealed that many animals from the monastery were missing, while others were without microchips.
3. Honey Manuka
This honey, included in the ranking of the most popular commodities on the black market, is produced only in New Zealand and Australia. A can of honey manuka costs $ 80. Recently, it has become very desirable due to its (not proven by official medicine) medicinal and antibacterial properties. Indigenous tribes of New Zealand used this honey for dressing wounds.
Organized gangs of thieves simply brazenly steal the product from wherever they can. In supermarkets and other retail outlets in Sydney (Australia), there is a huge surge in coordinated thefts of dozens of cans of manuka honey.
2. Rabies vaccines
In China, rabies kills thousands of lives every year. Unsurprisingly, in Taobao (the Chinese counterpart to eBay), the trade in cheap vaccines is booming. They are created in unknown laboratories by unknown individuals, and range from only partially effective to frankly fraudulent. In 2016, authorities arrested dozens of suspected rabies vaccine distributors. Profits from the vaccine trade on the black market amounted to about $ 90 million.
1. Pangolins
If you have never heard of pangolins, then you are not alone. These small mammals live in Southeast Asia and south of the Sahara, lead a solitary, nocturnal lifestyle, and would have existed calmly and further if not for their large horn scales covering the body. They are valued all over the world, having found application in medicine and cosmetic products, and are also used as a delicacy in some cultures.
Only one batch seized by the Hong Kong police in June 2016, the black market estimates are worth over $ 1 million, and this is the pinnacle of the money iceberg of the illegal pangolin trade. According to the International Fund for the Protection of Animals, pangolins are the most illegally exported mammals in the world.
