Piracy Is Second Only to the Drug Trade: UNODC Eduardo Szklarz - Infosurhoy.com
go to original March 14, 2014

Counterfeit: Don’t Buy Into Organized Crime (UNODC)

UNITED NATIONS – The market for pirated goods is worth US$250 billion annually, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

But the actual figure is higher, given the estimate doesn’t take into account Internet piracy (music, games and movies) or counterfeit products that are manufactured and sold within the same country.

“In general, the police don’t pay too much attention to counterfeit products. There are few penalties, the risks are low and the profits are high, which makes piracy a good business opportunity for organized crime,” said Alun Jones, the Chief of Communication and Advocacy at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Launched in January, the UNODC’s global campaign “Counterfeit: Don’t Buy Into Organized Crime” warns the trade in pirated goods facilitates money laundering, fosters corruption and is linked to other criminal activities, such as drug trafficking.

Piracy already is the second-largest source of income for criminal organizations, according to the UNODC, behind narco-trafficking, which is worth US$320 billion annually.

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