WUNRN
ILLICIT TRAFFICKING OF COUNTERFEIT
GOODS - CRIME - IMPORTANT TO WOMEN
_____________________________________________________
UNODC - UN Office of Drugs &
Crime
Direct Link to Full 10-Page
Publication:
The Value of Counterfieting as an Illicit Activity
Counterfeiting is a hugely profi table
business, with criminals relying
on the continued high demand for cheap
goods coupled with
low production costs. By nature of this
being an illicit business,
the extent of counterfeiting is diffi cult
to calculate and estimations
can vary signifi cantly. One widely used
fi gure from the OECD
places the value of counterfeiting in the
region of $250 billion per
year. This fi gure, however, includes
neither domestically produced
and consumed counterfeit products nor the
signifi cant volume of
pirated digital products being distributed
via the Internet which
would lead the fi gure of worldwide
counterfeiting to be “several
hundred billion dollars more”.23
The Growing Trend in Online Sales: An Opportunity for Organized Crime
Just as the licit market for online sales
of goods is increasing, so is
the opportunity for the online sale of
counterfeit goods by organized
crime groups. The full extent of the role
of organized crime
groups in selling such products online is
yet to be determined.
However, they have proven to be extremely
versatile and opportunistic
when it comes to new avenues of illicit
profi t generation.
This is coupled with the added challenge
of digital piracy of fi lm,
games, music and other digital products as
the internet evolves as
a platform that is abused by criminal
groups for illicit operations.
With this comes not just the opportunities
for more digital sales of
physical counterfeit goods but also
possibly a greater shift toward
illegal selling of digital products.
Threat to Public Health and Safety
Counterfeit goods and fraudulent medicines
pose a serious risk
to public health and safety. With no legal
regulation and very
little recourse, consumers are at risk
from unsafe and ineffective
products.
With criminals operating in any and all
areas where there is a profit
to be made, the extent of the crime is far
wider than copying designer
handbags and DVDs. From children’s toys to
car parts, alcohol
to agricultural tools, clothes to
cosmetics – the list is extensive
and diverse, with few ‘opportunities’ left
out. Even the counterfeiting
of civil and military aeroplane parts have
been reported
over the years, while increasing reports
of electrical and other
items being copied highlight a signifi
cant public health risk.32;33
Faulty counterfeited products can lead
directly to injury and death.
The vast range of items which are
illegally copied can have serious
health and safety consequences and have
been raised in various
parts of the world, including in
developing countries.