The black market can be brutal, exploitative, corrupt. Nothing is off-limits; everything is for sale. And what you buy may not be what it seems. But it's an industry estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. alone. Join the suppliers, sellers, customers, and the law enforcement officials trying to keep it in check as they share their experience of a hidden world that touches us all.
The sex trade is a multi-billion-dollar industry in the United States. From working girls to sex industry bosses, everyone’s looking for their cut.
The sex trade is a multi-billion-dollar industry in the United States. From working girls to sex industry bosses, everyone’s looking for their cut.
Real world hustlers control the underworld economy. From human trafficking to fake pharma, this dark and seedy world has players on every level. Each vies to take the top spot in their respective niche. Shadow Kings & Queens profit off illegal trades across the globe.
Real world hustlers control the underworld economy. From human trafficking to fake pharma, this dark and seedy world has players on every level. Each vies to take the top spot in their respective niche. Shadow Kings & Queens profit off illegal trades across the globe.
An examination of theft gangs who shift stolen goods from high-end retailers to urban clients, and large crime crews that jack cargo to barter with legal markets at home and abroad.
An examination of theft gangs who shift stolen goods from high-end retailers to urban clients, and large crime crews that jack cargo to barter with legal markets at home and abroad.
From card cheats, to armed robbers, criminals across America make a beeline for the Casinos of Las Vegas. To defend themselves casinos have become crime fighting organizations. Criminals react to casino crackdowns with more inventive means of attack. The casinos need to stay on top. At stake is their very survival.
From card cheats, to armed robbers, criminals across America make a beeline for the Casinos of Las Vegas. To defend themselves casinos have become crime fighting organizations. Criminals react to casino crackdowns with more inventive means of attack. The casinos need to stay on top. At stake is their very survival.
In Williston, North Dakota, an oil mining boom has brought tens of thousands of blue-collar workers to this once sleepy town. But the 21st century ‘black gold rush’ has also attracted black market operators into town. Motorcycle gangs extort Williston’s bars and strip clubs, while pimps net millions from prostitution. But with the oil boom going bust, criminals must adapt. Laid-off oil workers are becoming this underworld’s most resourceful criminals. Fueling the problem: drugs. Meth-related crime is up 78%. Williston’s law-breaking is now migrating to nearby Fort Berthold Tribal Reservation, where a 12-man police department is inheriting crime brought by 4,000 non-native Americans onto their land from the oil field.
In Williston, North Dakota, an oil mining boom has brought tens of thousands of blue-collar workers to this once sleepy town. But the 21st century ‘black gold rush’ has also attracted black market operators into town. Motorcycle gangs extort Williston’s bars and strip clubs, while pimps net millions from prostitution. But with the oil boom going bust, criminals must adapt. Laid-off oil workers are becoming this underworld’s most resourceful criminals. Fueling the problem: drugs. Meth-related crime is up 78%. Williston’s law-breaking is now migrating to nearby Fort Berthold Tribal Reservation, where a 12-man police department is inheriting crime brought by 4,000 non-native Americans onto their land from the oil field.
Underworld Inc. follows the dirty drug dollars from American trap houses to wholesalers and transporters, funnelling billions into Mexico’s money laundry. US authorities are closing in on cartel cash. If drug lords want their narco cheddar cleaned and moved into the banking system, they have to get it to Mexico. Working to stem the tide, the cops hit stash houses, and interdiction teams tail cars suspected of smuggling millions. South of the border, launderers use money changers to turn drug profits to pesos for onward investment in front companies and bogus construction projects. If local authorities pry into these shady businesses, they get warned off – cartel style.
Underworld Inc. follows the dirty drug dollars from American trap houses to wholesalers and transporters, funnelling billions into Mexico’s money laundry. US authorities are closing in on cartel cash. If drug lords want their narco cheddar cleaned and moved into the banking system, they have to get it to Mexico. Working to stem the tide, the cops hit stash houses, and interdiction teams tail cars suspected of smuggling millions. South of the border, launderers use money changers to turn drug profits to pesos for onward investment in front companies and bogus construction projects. If local authorities pry into these shady businesses, they get warned off – cartel style.
In America, 14 people die each day waiting for a kidney transplant. Meanwhile, the black market organ trade is thriving, and gangsters with global reach are pocketing easy money. Desperation drives this illegal trade in human spare parts, but the medical community is sounding the alarm and international law enforcement is in hot pursuit of the traffickers.
In America, 14 people die each day waiting for a kidney transplant. Meanwhile, the black market organ trade is thriving, and gangsters with global reach are pocketing easy money. Desperation drives this illegal trade in human spare parts, but the medical community is sounding the alarm and international law enforcement is in hot pursuit of the traffickers.
Increased automobile security means that car criminals are becoming more ingenious than ever. Gangs are working together to steal cars — for them car theft can be more profitable than selling drugs. In Santa Maria, California, three cars are stolen every day and police are now targeting the thieves rather than recovering vehicles. The criminals, meanwhile, rush to get the cars out of state, and then — via corrupt shippers — overseas. In West Africa, a criminal class has arisen that is willing to pay top dollar for high-end stolen U.S. cars.
Increased automobile security means that car criminals are becoming more ingenious than ever. Gangs are working together to steal cars — for them car theft can be more profitable than selling drugs. In Santa Maria, California, three cars are stolen every day and police are now targeting the thieves rather than recovering vehicles. The criminals, meanwhile, rush to get the cars out of state, and then — via corrupt shippers — overseas. In West Africa, a criminal class has arisen that is willing to pay top dollar for high-end stolen U.S. cars.
Black market moonshine is big business — high-proof, low-cost, untaxed and illegal. But the law is cracking down and urban bootleggers are bringing fresh competition. It’s the first day of the whiskey-making season for one expert moonshiner. Rosco needs two key elements for a successful and lucrative operation — secrecy and water. He’s found the perfect hidden site deep in the traditional heart of moonshine production: the southern Appalachian Mountains. But 700 miles southwest, in Holmes County, Mississippi, there’s a special police unit cracking down on ’shiners like Rosco.
Black market moonshine is big business — high-proof, low-cost, untaxed and illegal. But the law is cracking down and urban bootleggers are bringing fresh competition. It’s the first day of the whiskey-making season for one expert moonshiner. Rosco needs two key elements for a successful and lucrative operation — secrecy and water. He’s found the perfect hidden site deep in the traditional heart of moonshine production: the southern Appalachian Mountains. But 700 miles southwest, in Holmes County, Mississippi, there’s a special police unit cracking down on ’shiners like Rosco.
The black market can be brutal, exploitative, corrupt. Nothing is off-limits; everything is for sale. And what you buy may not be what it seems. But it's an industry estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. alone. Join the suppliers, sellers, customers, and the law enforcement officials trying to keep it in check as they share their experience of a hidden world that touches us all.
National Geographic , Wall to Wall
