Famous transnational criminal associations: Hong Kong Triads, Italian Mafia, Japanese yakuza, Russian Mafiya, West African crime groups
- Annual flow of 430-450 tons of heroin into global heroin market
- Global cocaine seizure total in 2008 was 711 tons
- Drug distribution or trafficking laws penalize the selling, transportation, and illegal import of unlawful controlled substances, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and other illegal drugs.
Three categories: Coexistence (they coincidentally occupy and operate in the same geographic space at the same time), cooperation (they decide that their mutual interests are both served, or at not least severely threatened, by temporarily working together) and convergence (each begins to engage in behavior(s) that is/are more commonly associated with the other)
- Human smuggling and trafficking have become a world-wide industry that ‘employs’ every year millions of people and leads to the annual turnover of billions of dollars
- More often than not flourishing smuggling routes are made possible by weak legislation, lax border controls, corrupted police officers, and the power of the organized crime
- Coordination- integrated action at the international level
- Education and awareness
- Cooperation throughout nations to prevent crime
- Be alert, be involved, be aware, be supportive, and be responsible