Between September 2008 and February 2009, an estimated 10,000 migrants who were attempting to cross the border into the United States were kidnapped and held for ransom.

Source:  Sara Miller Llana, “Mexico mass grave highlights abuse of migrants heading to US,” Christian Science Monitor, August 26, 2010.

Human smugglers charge migrants $5,000 to be smuggled into the United States by sea.

More and more migrants are attempting to enter the US due to increase enforcement on the border between the US and Mexico.

Source:  AP, “Migrants turn to the sea to enter US illegally,” Google News, August 26, 2010.

From October 2009 to August 2010, US Border Enforcement agents apprehended 753 migrants attempting to enter the United States by sea.

In the same time period om 2008 to 2009, 400 migrants were caught. In 2007 to 2008, 230 migrants were apprehended.

Source:  AP, “Migrants turn to the sea to enter US illegally,” Google News, August 26, 2010.

The human smuggling market at the US-Mexico border is estimated to generate $6.6 Billion a year for the smugglers.

US authorities have never seized more than $17 Million a year in assets of the human smugglers.

Source:  Lise Olsen and Dudley Althaus, “Lawmakers told border crime getting out of hand,” July 22, 2010.

In the 1990s, human smugglers in Mexico charged people a few hundred dollars to be smuggled across the border into the United States.

Due to increase security, by 2010 the fee increased to $3,000.

Source: Susan Carrroll, “Human smugglers showing violent upswing, ICE says,” Houston Chronicle, July 5, 2010.

In 2010, there were 6,010 illegal immigrants in the prison system in the State of Arizona, with over 2,000 convicted for serious drug crimes.

Source:  JJ Hensley, “Illegal immigrants’ activity in drug trade uncertain,” Arizona Republic, July 6, 2010.

Illegal immigrants from China paid human smugglers $15,000 (13,000 Euros) to be transported into Northern Italy in order to work in the textile industry.

Source:  “Chinese gangs step into gap left by mafia,” Telegraph, June 29, 2010.

Police in Italy reported that Chinese Organized Crime groups operating in the country laundered $3.3 Billion (2.7 Billion Euros) of revenue back to China between 2006 and 2010.

The proceeds were from black market activities such as the sale of counterfeit goods, prostitution and human smuggling.

Source: “Chinese gangs step into gap left by mafia,” Telegraph, June 29, 2010.

On the southern United States border, 90 percent of illegal immigrants who enter the country illegally pay for the services of a human smuggler.

Source:  UNODC, “The Globalization of Crime,” Chapter 3: Smuggling of Migrants, June 2010.

In 2008, about 55,000 migrants from Africa are believed to have paid human smugglers to be smuggled into Europe.

The human smugglers are believed to have grossed $150 million for their work in 2008.

Source:  UNODC, “The Globalization of Crime,” Chapter 3, Smuggling of Migrants, June 2010.