In 2007, there were 1,046 kidney transplants in the Philippines. In 2008, the number of transplants declined to 679 as the government banned foreigners from donating their kidneys in a bid to stop organ trafficking.

Nearly one person in the Philippines, or 7,000 people a year, die each year from renal failure in the country.

Source: AFP, “Philippines claims success on organ trafficking,” Google News, July 27, 2010.

According to a report by NPR, the cost to obtain a position as a city assemblymen in a town in rural China costs $44,000.

Source:  Anthony Kuhn, “China’s Hidden Economy Of Graft Undermines State,” NPR, July 30, 2010.

According to press reports, there were at least 270 people who were hanged to death in Iran for drug trafficking in 2009.

Source:  AFP, “Iran hangs rapist, three drug traffickers: reports,” Google News, July 31, 2010.

According to figures compiled by the Associated Press, between December 2006 and September 2009, the Mexican Government arrested 226,667 drug suspects. Out of that total, less than a total have been officially charged with a crime.

The examples provided by the AP show that 24,000 people were freed from Baja California out of the 33,000 that were arrested. In Sinaloa, 9,700 were arrested and 5,606 were released. And in the birthplace of the Gulf Cartel, 3,600 were arrested with 2,083 later released.

Source: Associated Press, “AP Impact: Mexico justice means catch and release,” Washington Post, July 27, 2010.

In El Salvador, the homicide rate increased by 37 percent in 2009 as there were 71 murders for every 100,000 residents. Other Central America countries had high homicide rates as well, with Honduras having 67 per 100,000, and Guatemala having 52 murders per 100,000 residents.

By comparison, Mexico has 14 murders per 100,000 and the United States has 5.4 per 100,000 residents.

The high level in Central America is due to the increase in cocaine trafficking routes throughout the country. Cocaine seizures quadrupled from 2004 and 2007.

Source:  Nick Miroff and William Booth, “Mexican drug cartels bring violence with them in move to Central America,” Washington Post, July 27, 2010.

80 percent of young beggars in the streets of Thailand have come from Cambodia.

The young beggars, ranging in age from newborn babies to 12 year olds, generally work between 8 to 12 hours a day and earn between $9 to $31 (300 to 1,000 Thai Baht). Child beggars are often the victims of human trafficking.

Source: “Stop giving to beggars, says foundation,” Bangkok Post, July 27, 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 2008, 24.3 metric tons of amphetamines were seized around the world, with 15.3 metric tons seized in the Middle East. 12.8 metric tons of amphetamines were seized in Saudi Arabia alone in 2008.

Source:  Mark Tutton, “Does Saudi have world’s biggest amphetamine habit?,” CNN, July 23, 2010.

In 2009, European Authorities seized 118 million articles of counterfeit goods from entering the union.

The largest category of counterfeit good was clothing, with 27 percent of all seizures being fake clothing.

64 percent of all counterfeit goods seized was from China, a 10 percent increase in the amount of goods seized in 2008.

Source: “EU reports growth in fake goods from China,” BBC News, July 22, 2010.

In 2009, the Government of Japan found over 400 cases of the mistreatment of foreign workers in a government sponsored training program, including the failure to pay wages and exposure to dangerous conditions.

From 2005 to 2010, at least 127 trainees have died. The cause of death for many have been strokes or heart failures, signs of overwork.

Source:  Hiroko Tabuchi, “Japan Training Program Is Said to Exploit Workers,” New York Times, July 20, 2010.