Although the market for synthetic drugs has been escalating and proliferating globally, no specific project has addressed yet what is the value of the proceeds from this diverse drug market. The proposed initiative aims at producing estimates of illicit profits and money flows for selected routes of synthetic drug trafficking, following up on the implementation of the conceptual framework for the statistical measurement of drug-related money flows in different pilot countries.
Summary report compiling all the crime-related illicit financial flows for which UNODC has provided technical support in countries from Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region
The conceptual framework for the statistical measurement of illicit financial flows
Regional study on illicit financial flows derived from opiates trafficking along the northern route
A report on illicit financial flow estimates associated with opiates trafficked on the Balkan route
UNODC has developed the conceptual framework for the statistical measurement of crime-related money flows and supported countries in its implementation for measuring the indicator 16.4.1 (total value of inward and outward illicit financial flows) from the Sustainable Development Goal 16. As a result, there are currently data for nine countries on money flows related to crime (with eight countries presenting drug-related estimates) in the Global SDG Database, whereas there were none in 2015. In addition, UNODC has provided technical assistance and capacity building for the measurement of crime-related money flows in different countries from Africa, the Asia Pacific-region and Latin America.
Building on the work already done by UNODC on producing estimates for drug-related money flows, the project will analyze trafficking flows and associated money flows for selected routes of synthetic drug trafficking identified by the most recent official data provided by national counterparts through the Annual Report Questionnaire (ARQ), as well as the Drugs Monitoring Platform (DMP), which provides near real-time data on drug trafficking trends from multiple sources. By estimating the value of the cross-border operations related to income generation from illicit synthetic drug trafficking along the routes identified, the current project expects to produce an overview of the size of criminal income generated through these illegal activities. Wherever possible, the study will also analyze investments of illicit income derived from trafficking of synthetic drugs in legal sectors, such as real estate and other relevant economic areas. UNODC may also deliver a series of interactive regional training workshops to provide the methodological tools needed to produce these estimates in participating countries.
First estimates of the magnitude of illicit profits and money flows associated with synthetic drug trafficking at the international level, and the dissemination of these estimates through the publication of an analytical report to relevant government agencies at the global level.
National estimates of the value of illicit profits and money flows associated with synthetic drug trafficking for each neighboring country from the established drug trafficking routes identified for the purpose of the project. The results of this project may inform law enforcement and policy makers at creating anti-money laundering strategies and specific interventions to reduce the proceeds generated by the growing synthetic drug market globally.
UNODC has already supported nine countries to estimate money flows related to criminal activities, including drug trafficking. More details.
Angela Me, UNODC, angela [dot] me [at] un [dot] org (angela[dot]me[at]un[dot]org)
