Piracy Pays Off for Criminal Underworld

A joint World Bank–UN Office on Drugs and Crime–Interpolstudy estimates that between 2005 and 2012 acts ofpiracy brought in $339 million to $413 million in ransompayouts. Most of this money goes not to the pirates themselves but to the financiers behind them. These kingpins then use their ill-gotten gains to fund both legitimate business activities as well as various criminal operations, including further piracy, human trafficking, and drug and arms dealing. More… Discuss