A documentary states that United States citizens account for 25 percent of all child sex tourists worldwide.  The film, “Playground”, by filmmaker Libby Spears, quotes the figure from the organization End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT).

Source: Michelle Nichols, “Documentary examines U.S. child sex trade,” Reuters.com, April 29. 2009.

The market rate to purchase a fake university diploma in the streets of China is between 200 to 300 yuan ($29-$44).  In 2002, Chinese educational authorities estimated that 500,000 had forged degrees.  University officials in France stated that around 3 to 4 percent of all applicants to their schools were found to have held counterfeit degrees.

Source:  AFP, “China learns lesson from fake degrees”, Google News, April 28, 2009.

Fake mobile phones consist of up to 20 percent of all mobile phones sold in China. The phones, which are sold for as little as $20, resemble legitimate phones such as the iPhone.  Many of the counterfeit phones have exploded while being used.

Source: David Barboza, “In China, Knockoff Cellphones Are a Hit,” New York Times, April 27, 2009.

In 2008, 7,700 tones of opium was harvested in Afghanistan, down from 8,200 in 2007.

The Taliban earns between $100 to $200 million from the heroin trade.

Source: Jonathon Burch, “Six tonne drug blaze a small step in Afghan battles,” Reuters, April 26, 2009.

According to a Italian think tank, the Italian Mafia earns $17 billion (12.6 Euros) from loansharking each year.  An estimated 180,000 merchants directly or indirectly receive their loans from the Mafia in Italy.

Overall, the Mafia generates about $167 billion (130 billion Euros) in revenue.

Source: Associated Press, “Italy’s Mafia thrives in global financial meltdown,” Google News, April 25, 2009.

There are an estimated 100,000 private security guards employed in Guatemala to protect businesses and families from violence caused by drug traffickers, organized crime, and gangs, according to the Washington Post.  In 2008, over 6,300 people were murdered in the country.

Source: Ann-Marie O’Connor, “Guards in Guatemala: Protection and Threat,” Washington Post, April 24, 2009.

According to the DEA in Dallas, Texas, Mexican Drug Cartels are shipping drugs to the Italian Mafia.  The price of cocaine can be sold for up to three times higher in Europe than in the United States.

Source:  Jason Trahan, “Mexican cartels unloading drugs to Italian mafia,” Dallas Morning News, April 20, 2009.

In an article about kidnapping, the New York Times reported that only 12 percent of all crimes are reported to police in Mexico.  In addition, in fewer than 2 percent of all crimes does a suspect appear before a judge.

Source:  Elisabeth Malkin, “A Cause Celebre Clouds Mexican Sentiment on Kidnapping Scourge,” New York Times, April 8, 2009.

The Somali Pirates who hold ships for ransom off the coast of Somalia are reported to have made up to 50 million dollars last year in ransom payments.  According to a report in the Washington Post, those pirates who are able to get paid are living a life of luxury in the poverty stricken country.

From the Washington Post:

Locals say that onshore, the pirates are attended to by prostitutes, nurses, bodyguards and men who procure and deliver their precious khat, a mildly narcotic leaf chewed for its stimulant effects.

Source:  Stephanie McCrummen, “Somalia’s Godfathers: Ransom-Rich Pirates,” Washington Post, April 20,2009.

Mexican and American officials estimate that 100,000 firearms purchased in the United States are smuggled into Mexico each year.  Up to 90 percent of the arms recovered from drug gangs are from traced back to the United States.

Source:  Karl Vick, “Gun-Trafficking Crackdown Hits Hurdle,” Washington Post, April 19, 2009.