Swiss voters approve heroin progam
From the AP (via Yahoo News):
The world’s most comprehensive legalized heroin program became permanent Sunday with overwhelming approval from Swiss voters who simultaneously rejected the decriminalization of marijuana.
The heroin program, started in 1994, is offered in 23 centers across Switzerland. It has helped eliminate scenes of large groups of drug users shooting up openly in [...]
Over $1 billion laundered in Mafia controlled cigarette smuggling ring
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 [...]
$1.6 Billion in losses from piracy in Switzerland
Source: Swissinfo, “Campaign targets fake products,”swissinfo.org, January 16, 2007.
Switzerland to crack down on counterfeit customers
Custom Agents in Switzerland will soon be starting to crack down on tourists who are carrying counterfeit products.
From the VOA:
The head of legal services at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, Juerg Herren, tells VOA people should not think that buying fake goods is just a petty crime. He calls it a serious matter, [...]
Prostitution industry in Switzerland worth $2.65 billion
Source: “Swiss sex industry is thriving,” swissinfo, June 3, 2006.
Switzerland has between 1,500 to 3,000 human trafficking victims at any given time
Law enforcement officials in Switzerland estimate 1,500 to 3,000 victims of human trafficking may be in Switzerland at any time.
A majority of the women who are trafficked into the country are believed to be working the prostitution industry. According to published reports, the number of prostitutes in the city of Zurich has [...]
40 million counterfeit watches produced globally
25 million watches are legitimately produced by the Swiss watch industry, while 40 million counterfeit watches are produced around the world.
Source: Swissinfo, “Watchmakers sound alarm over internet fakes,” swissinfo.org,December 19, 2006, (accessed: December 20, 2006).
30 to 90 percent of adoptions in Switzerland are outside offical channels
In Switzerland, out of the nearly 600 children adopted from abroad, 30 to 90 percent are handled outside of official channels.
Source: “Unicef sounds alarm over child trafficking,” Swissinfo, October 18, 2007,(accessed: October 19, 2007).
Undeclared work in Switzerland costs economy $35 Million
From SwissInfo:
Laws will be tightened from the start of January to clamp down on people conducting undeclared work - activity that costs the Swiss economy SFr 39 million ($35 million) a year.
Economics Minister Doris Leuthard announced the war on moonlighting with the backing of unions and employers. Measures include increased controls and sanctions coupled with [...]
