More than 150 countries are meeting to curb the illegal trafficking of cigarettes. From Reuters: The week-long conference in Geneva is being held under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), which estimates 5 million people die each year from diseases related to smoking. “Illicit trade in tobacco products contributes to the rise in tobacco consumption and [...]

A new report is stating that eliminating illegal tobacco smuggling in the United Kingdom would save 4,000 lives per year. From the Telegraph: Cancer Research UK says that the trade in smuggled cigarettes and tobacco kills four times as many people as all illicit drugs combined. Official figures suggest that 22 per cent of all tobacco smoked in [...]

Swiss Authorities are charging 10 people in laundering over $1 billion in a Mafia controlled cigarette smuggling ring. From the AP (via the Seattle Times): Switzerland’s top prosecutor charged 10 people with laundering more than $1 billion dollars during a decade-long mafia cigarette smuggling operation, Swiss authorities said Monday. The defendants - five Swiss, three Italians, a Spaniard [...]

An Afghan governor is attempting to persuade farmers not to plant opium instead of eradicating the crop after it has been planted. From the IHT: As the new planting season for opium poppy draws near, the governor of Helmand, Afghanistan’s largest poppy-producing province, says that this year he is determined to beat the illicit crop, which is [...]

An on-line gambling site in the Philippines was busted by South Korean Officials after making over $100 million over 18 months.  From the AFP: The ring allegedly opened a casino in Manila in February last year. They hired 30 Filipino dealers and webcast baccarat games being staged at the casino to domestic online participants. In order to assure [...]

In an attempt to protect its local gambling industry, the US State of Kentucky is asking a court to allow it to seize 140 domain names of Internet gambling sites. From the Lexington Herald-Leader: Kentucky is commandeering 141 domain names of Internet gambling sites in a novel legal move to crack down on the unregulated industry. Franklin Circuit [...]

11 people in Estonia have been charged with smuggling vodka through a two kilometer underwater pipeline to avoid paying taxes.  From AFP (via Google News): The operation was profitable as the price of vodka in Russia is nearly one third cheaper than in Estonia, a member of the European Union since May 2004. The illegal pipeline was discovered [...]

A ballot measure to decriminalize prostitution is splitting the city in two as backers of the bill embark on their campaigns.  From the Los Angeles Times: The battle over Proposition K is causing political rifts in this free-thinking city, which for years has wrestled with ways to effectively regulate its vibrant sex industry.  The measure is opposed by [...]

The US House of Representative passed a anti-smuggling bill that aims to crack down on the black market trade in cigarettes. From the AP (via Google News): The bill, passed 379-12, would impose shipping and record-keeping requirements on those selling cigarettes and smokeless tobacco over the phone or through the mail or Internet, and make failure to [...]

A group of brothel operators in South Korea are releasing names of the names of the corrupt cops who assisted them in their operations.  The document written by the pimps lists the names of police officers, their rank, and the amount of money they received for allowing the brothels to operate.  Read the entire article from The [...]