United to safeguard America from illegal trade

By USA-IT

Billions of dollars are lost annually to transnational crime. Here’s how we can fight back.

The global trade in black market goods is a $464-billion-a-year business, and it’s growing. Criminals get rich from illegal trade by peddling fake and stolen goods, ultimately robbing governments of much needed revenue to provide essential services to Americans. Instead of helping taxpayers, that money is pocketed by crooks who traffic in illegal narcotics, apparel, counterfeit medications, tobacco, weapons, wildlife, and even people.

That’s why United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade (USA-IT) is proud to join in the fight against black market trade.

Bringing together brand enforcement experts from the private and public sectors, academia, and government and law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, we are combining our collective expertise to curb illegal trade for the benefit of our communities.

And we must.

The $2.2 trillion-a-year industry of transnational crime, fueled by illegal trade and related crimes, has only been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, since January 2020, online counterfeited goods have jumped nearly 40 percent. No matter the commodity, they’re all sold on our main streets, on social media, in online marketplaces, and on the dark web every minute of every day.

And these global, shadowy networks have a footprint across America. In terms of smuggled currency alone: from 2015 through 2016, federal law enforcement seized over $88 million in Florida; in 2017, over $13 million in Arizona; in 2018, over $15 million in Illinois; and in 2019, over $23 million in Texas and more than $54 million in California.

Sadly, and most unnerving, these states accounted for more than 25,300 human trafficking cases since 2007—and those only account for the cases that were reported.

Not only are bad actors bringing crime and instability to our neighborhoods, they leave law-abiding Americans to foot the bill. Every year, these five states are robbed of nearly $2.8 billion of tax revenues because of tobacco smuggling. Add this to the vast array of other black market commodities, and tens of billions more are diverted from legitimate market drivers such as businesses and governments. This impairs the ability of communities to make the necessary investments to stimulate economic growth—to build roads, hospitals, homes, and schools.

But illegal trade is not only responsible for this indirect peril—it’s bringing violence directly to our doorsteps. Just this year, it was reported that Mexican drug cartels like Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Cárteles Unidos are escalating violent attacks so much that they pose an increasing threat to Mexican and U.S. citizens and are letting more drugs into the United States.

Criminal and terror organizations that run the black market are entrepreneurial and agile. They are dynamic in the myriad ways they avoid law enforcement, quick-moving and creative in establishing new revenue streams, and innovative and ruthless in their execution. It is a potent threat mix.

And while law enforcement is doing everything they can to combat these criminals, no agency, government, or industry can solve this growing problem alone. In today’s hyperconnected world—with growing concerns around global security and the surge of new digital tools—broad cooperation is vital.

To implement meaningful long-term solutions against illegal trade, we must employ public-private partnerships, like USA-IT, which make full use of existing expertise, information sharing, innovative solutions, and evolving technologies.

Only by working together to fight back against these insidious criminals can we ensure America’s security and prosperity.

We are United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade. Working together to fight back

Learn more and get involved: WWW.USAIT.ORG.

Click Here to find out more about our partners and their commitment to fighting illicit trade in the United States

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