Beyond Drugs and Arms: Uncovering Eurasia’s Understudied World of Illicit Trade

This article delves into the trends, patterns, and impact of illicit trade in the Eurasia region. It draws on a review of existing literature and analysis of trade data, and then explores the prevalence and nature of illicit trade in various commodities, including tobacco, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, petroleum products, and garments. Moreover, it highlights the significant impact of such trade on corruption, security, development, the environment, and public health in the region, and argues that there is a need to shift the research focus to the smuggling and illicit trade of legal commodities in Eurasia.