According to an article in the Variety, Internet piracy causes losses of $3.8 billion in Italy.

Source:  Nick Vivarelli, “France, U.K. lead piracy battle,” Variety, March 27, 2009.

A woman attempting to sell bear bile was arrested by police in Los Angeles after she was found to have imported almost two pounds of bile from China.  According to authorities, the two pounds of bear bile has a street value of $400,000 dollars.   Bear bile, taken from a living bear’s gallbladder, is used as a treatment for conjunctivitis, jaundice and hemorrhoids.

Source:  Victoria Kim, “Woman staying in Los Angeles accused in bear bile importation,” Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2009.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered the strongest statement against the years of failure in the drug wars as she started a trip to Mexico.  When asked about the current policy towards illegal drugs, Clinton replied, “Clearly what we’ve been doing has not worked”. She further said, “Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade,” . “Neither interdiction nor reducing demand have been successful,” according to quotes in the Washington Post.

Read the entire article at the Washington Post.

Drug cartels are increasingly become key players in the human smuggling market on the border between the US and Mexico.  According to US officials, the drug cartels have muscled their way into the trade, often taking over routes and operations from formerly independent smugglers.  On the border within the state of Arizona alone, the estimated market in human smuggling is $2 billion.  Federal laws are preventing border agents, drug enforcement agents, and ATF agents from working together.  The article in the LA Times mentions that if border agents cannot arrest smugglers for drug smuggling, as they do not have the authority that is needed from the DEA. 

Source: Josh Meyer, “Drug cartels raise the stakes on human smuggling,” Los Angeles Times, March 23, 2009.

The Shining Path rebels of Peru is increasing its activity in the cocaine trade by controlling an estimated 500 workers who labor in the trade, according to security analysts. 

The rebels are following the methods of FARC and have increased the production of cocaine in Peru.  In 2007, cocaine production was estimated t 290 tones, a 10 year high. 

Source: Simon Romero, “Violence returns to Peru’s remote jungle,” International Herald Tribune, March 17, 2009. 

Mexican drug cartels are now operating in at least 230 cities across the United States in 2009, up from 50 cities in 2006, according to US Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill). 

Source: R. Jeffery Smith, “U.S. Efforts Against Mexican Cartels Called Lacking,” Washington Post, March 18, 2009. 

Cuban authorities seize between 1,500 to 1,7000 unauthorized cigars each month in Cuba, according to the AFP.  The cigars are made in illegal factories or workshops were workers roll up to 100 cigars per day.  The cigars are sold on the black market at a cheaper price than official Cuban cigars.

Source: AFP, “The dark side of Cuban cigars,” Google News, March 17, 2009.

A new report by the investigative arm of the US Congress has found that it is very easy to obtain a real passport from the State Department by using counterfeit materials.  The GAO was able to obtain passports through a series of undercover tests, such as using false documents to a dead person’s social security number.  In each of the 4 undercover tests, the investigator was able to receive an official passport. 

Read the GAO report, “Undercover Test Reveal Significant Vulnerabilities in State’s Passport Issuance Process,” here. 

Read the news article from CNN here.

According to a report in the Toronto Star, there are two million illegal satellite connections in the United States and Canada that are pirated content from satellite companies. 

Back in 2001, satellite piracy in Canada was estimated to be costing the industry $1 billion. 

Source: Tony Wong, “Satellite piracy costing TV industry billions,” Toronto Star, March 15, 2009. 

Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin Guzman Loera is listed in this years Forbes Magazine world’s billionaire list with a value of $1 billion.  The magazine listed his source of wealth as being the “one of the biggest supplier of cocaine to the US.” 

The United States government is offering $5 million for information that leads to his arrest. 

Source: CNN, “Mexican drug lord makes Forbes’ billionaire list,” March 13, 2009.