The New Zealand Herald has an article on the market in smuggling fighters from Syria into Iraq. From the NZ Herald: For years, he operated along Syria’s remote border providing young Arabs from as far away as Morocco and the Gulf with passports, guides and weapons as they slipped into Iraq to wage war. But recently, the Iraqi [...]

From the AFP (via Google News); As deforestation and a loss of natural prey threatens Siamese crocodiles with extinction, the farms that once helped endanger the species are now helping save it, conservationists say. There are fewer than 50 Siamese crocodiles left in the wild in Thailand and about 200 in the entire Mekong river region, but [...]

United Nations Officials believe that the Taliban is hiding opium and preventing it from entering the world drug market to keep prices high. From Time Magazine: According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, between 6,000 and 8,000 tons of opium have vanished during the past three years somewhere between the poppy fields of Afghanistan — [...]

A man once dubbed “America’s Sheriff” is standing trail on charges of corruption. From the AP (via Google News): A former Orange County sheriff was a sharp, inspiring leader consumed by greed and adept at manipulating his closest co-workers and friends to benefit himself, a prosecutor said Wednesday as the lawman’s federal corruption trial began. The government alleges [...]

After a recent high-profile killing, Croatia faces questions regarding its ability to confront organized crime within its borders. From Time Magazine: The damage from last Thursday’s bomb-blast in downtown Zagreb that killed Ivo Pukanic, one of Croatia’s top media moguls, and his advertising manager Niko Franic, will not be confined to the casualties. The attack has cast [...]

Human Trafficking from China is the worst offender in Canada. From Canada.com: China, Romania, the Philippines and Moldova are the top four worst offenders in international human trafficking to Canada, according to the first national statistics on the extent of the crime in Canada. And the figure of 31 foreign nationals - four of them minor children - [...]

As the Philadelphia Phillies attempt to close out the World Series tonight after rain suspended their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, Major League Baseball has been keeping busy seizing counterfeit apparel from street vendors. From the Philadelphia Inquirer: Since the playoffs began, MLB investigators have seized more than 5,000 counterfeit T-shirts and caps from [...]

Personal data in the black market is facing a recession as prices for individual information spiral downwards. From Newsweek: Your personal identity isn’t worth quite as much as it used to be—at least to thieves willing to swipe it. According to experts who monitor such markets, the value of stolen credit card data may range from $3 to [...]

Mexican drug cartels were able to infiltrate the US Embassy and spy on anti-drug trafficking operations. From the AP (via CNN): A major drug cartel has infiltrated the Mexican attorney general’s office, and one cartel worker says he even spied on Drug Enforcement Administration operations from inside the U.S. Embassy, Mexican prosecutors said Monday. Five officials of the [...]

According to experts, Rhode Island is becoming  a major hub for sex trafficking. From the Providence Journal: When most people think of slavery these days, “they think of the Civil War,” says Shanna Wells, director of the Rhode Island Commission on Women. But in fact, said Wells, slavery is occurring now in neighborhoods around Rhode Island, in the [...]