Put yourself in their shoes: You may feel desperate enough to engage in what’s called “transplant tourism,” an odyssey that you can be sure will land you in one of the most deprived regions of the world. Many people fear that their wait times might exceed their lifetimes, and they are often correct. Unsurprisingly, demand is created by buyers who need an organ transplant and are on lists that require them to wait their turn in a legitimate marketplace that relies on voluntary donations. “Transplant Tourism” and the Black Market for Illicit Human Organsĭesperation is key to the entire system – desperation on the parts of both buyers and sellers in these transactions. These harvested organs will be transplanted into individuals who have the desire and ability to pay, through institutions and surgeons willing to perform – and profit from – these sub-rosa, often risky operations. Sophisticated black markets exist across the world – particularly in developing nations – to extract organs, for example kidneys, parts of the liver, and even corneas, from living people, many of whom have been transported for the operation, some against their will. Of all these, perhaps the most alarming is the illicit trade in human organs.
You could conceivably find endangered animals and animal parts such as ivory gems and jewels guns and firearms recreational drugs and pharmaceuticals currencies and even human body parts. And yes, that quarter-ounce of pot you bought from a friend in high school qualifies you as a veteran of black market trade.īlack markets vary in size and scope depending on a variety of factors: the desirability of a good or service, its availability or scarcity, regulations and laws against its distribution, and the willingness of suppliers to bribe or otherwise “pay off” local authorities.ĭepending on the location, the inclination of buyers to make illicit purchases, and the under-the-table agreements of authorities to look the other way (or even sometimes to actively support the trade), black markets can encompass almost anything. Wherever commodities are in short supply and someone can fill the need – for the right price – by going around normal distribution channels, without official approval, that’s a black market. Throughout the world, in virtually every country, there exist black markets.
Despite its illegality, bribery and government corruption allow it to operate mostly unhindered. Black markets are defined as “economic activity that takes place outside government-sanctioned channels.” This activity can be for any product from toothpaste to military weapons, anything that is traded or exchanged for cash outside government regulation or scrutiny.