Singapore Black Market Value: $0.2113 Billion ($211.3 Million)

World Average: $20.34 Billion

Click on the black market value to view source.




Data on Singapore Black Market


Cigarette smuggling in Singapore in 2010

Filed under: Asia, Financial Crime

In the first half of 2010, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore handled 13,300 cases of cigarette smuggling, an increase of 62 percent from the 8,200 cases handled in the first half of 2009.

Despite the larger case load, the number of cigarette packs seized to 699,000 compared to 734,000 cigarette packs seized in the first half of 2009.

Source:  Victoria Barker, “Smuggling rises to 7-year high,” Asia One, August 6, 2010.

Illegal gambling on 2010 World Cup in Asia

Filed under: Asia, Financial Crime

During the 2010 World Cup, police in Asia arrested over 5,000 people for illegal gambling activities and seized more than $10 Million.

Police in Malaysia, China, Thailand and Singapore raided 800 illegal gambling dens where $155 Million in illegal bets were placed during the World Cup.

Source:  “Thousands held in Asian gambling bust,” CNN, July 16, 2010.

Human Trafficking in Burma/Myanmar

Filed under: Asia, Humans

According to the United Nations, several thousand people from Burma are believed to be trafficked out of the country each year. The main destination is China, followed by Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Source: “MYANMAR: Tricked by traffickers,” IRIN, May 31, 2010.

Selected music piracy losses in 2009

Below are music piracy losses in 2009 for selected countries. The figures are from the International Intellectual Property Alliance.

Country Losses
1 Argentina 63.4  Million
2 Brazil 147  Million
3 China 466.3  Million
4 India 17.7  Million
5 Indonesia 24.7 Million
6 Israel 55  Million
7 Malaysia 23.5  Million
8 Mexico 436.4  Million
9 Philippines 112.1  Million
10 Poland 118 Million
11 Singapore 4.3  Million
12 Taiwan 2.7  Million
13 Thailand 15.1  Million

Source: “IIPA 2010 “Special 301 Recommendations,” International Intellectual Property Alliance, February 18, 2010.

Arrests of drug abusers in Singapore

Filed under: Asia, Drug Trafficking

In 2009, 1,876 drug abusers were arrested in Singapore, slightly down from the 1,925 people arrested in 2008.

1,079 people, or 60 percent of those arrest in 2009 were using heroin, up from the 46 percent arrested in 2008.

Source:  Jessica Lim, “Heroin abuse on the rise,” Straits Times, February 3, 2010.

350,000 pirated movies downloaded per month in Singapore

Each month, around 350,000 movies are illegally downloaded in Singapore, which gives the country one of the highest rate of piracy on a per capita basis in the Asia region.

Source:  Konrad Foo, “S’pore mulls ‘three-strikes’ law against piracy,” ZD Net Asia, August 19, 2009.

Price of Marijuana in Asia

Filed under: Asia, Drug Trafficking

Price is in US Dollars and represents the typical price of Marijuana in Asia.

Click here for additional prices of marijuana.

Country Wholesale Price
(per kilogram
Retail Price
(per gram)
Afghanistan 56 NA
Australia 6,112.8 20.9
Bangladesh 29.3 0.2
China NA 0.8
Hong Kong 1,833.5 8.3
India 85 NA
Indonesia 244.9 0.2
Japan 16,997.2 51
Laos 14 NA
Malaysia 423 NA
Myanmar 130 0.2
New Zealand 6,071.4 16.5
Philippines 475 0.5
Singapore 2,527.7 22.2
South Korea 1,040 6.5
Thailand 217.2 1.4

Source:  UNODC, “World Drug Report 2009: Section 3.4 Prices, pages 215 to 234,” June 2009.

Price of Methamphetamines in Asia

Filed under: Asia, Drug Trafficking

Prices are in US Dollars and represent the typical price of Methamphetamines in Asia.

Country Wholesale Price
(per kilogram)
Retail Price
(per gram)
Cambodia NA 1.6 (per tablet)
China 6,650 6
Hong Kong 23,987 56.4
Indonesia NA 93.6
Japan 88,382 500
Laos 4,000 1
Malaysia 40,210 5.3
Myanmar 15,600 3.9
Philippines NA 119.3
Singapore 119,760 166.7
South Korea 14,118 705.9
Thailand NA 83.3

Source: UNODC, “World Drug Report 2009: Section 3.4 Prices, pages 215 to 234,” June 2009.

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