SHOPPERS are beating the rising cost of postage by buying re-used stamps online for as little as 16p on the likes of eBay. An investigation by The Daily Telegraph has shown that the country’s largest online marketplace advertises more than 2,100 listings for re-used first and second class stamps. The publication said that just one online seller claimed to sell 20,000 re-used stamps a month – without a problem. Another seller said that some charities are selling on their received envelopes in large numbers to help boost incomes – to “stamp collectors” – allowing used stamps to be sold on. A spokesperson for eBay told the Telegraph that the stamp listings brought to the site’s attention would be checked. The Royal Mail says that it’s a “crime to knowingly use counterfeit or re-used stamps to avoid paying Royal Mail the full amount required for the postal service received. “Anyone who does so may face criminal prosecution or … [Read more...] about Rocketing cost of stamps sees ‘black market’ boom on Ebay as Christmas card season approaches
Black market trade
King crab boom creates giant black market
King crab on the barbecue. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB scanpix Booming demand for king crab, both in Norway and from export markets, is fueling a growing black market, Norway's fishing ministry has warned. The crab, which invaded Norwegian waters in the 1990s and 2000s, now sells in the centre of major Norwegian cities for close to 1000 kroner a kilo. "We believe the volume is significant and perhaps increasing," Ton-Ola Rudi, Senior Advisor at Norway's fishing ministry, told state broadcaster NRK of the illegal catches and sales. Industry trade body Seafood Norway estimates that hundreds of tons of the succulent delicacy are being caught this year in excess of the 2018 quota of 1,850 tonnes. The illegal fishing comes as Norway is exporting record quantities of live crab to meet soaring demand and benefit from record prices in markets such as South Korea, the US, and Japan. In autumn, Norway's biggest illegal crab … [Read more...] about King crab boom creates giant black market
Colorado’s black market marijuana: Are authorities wrongly blaming cartels?
Editor’s note: The Gazette continues its Collateral Impact series, which takes a look at the effects and sometimes unintended consequences of legalized marijuana in Colorado.A frequently used criticism by law enforcement of Colorado’s legalized marijuana industry is that it invited dangerous drug cartels into the state, where they operate in black market shadows.Law enforcement in El Paso, Teller and Pueblo counties say it in news releases when perpetrators are of Cuban or Mexican descent. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, said it in January, alleging “cartels have rushed into Colorado, resulting in 19 cartel operation busts in the last 18 months.”And 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May repeated it to a crowd of community leaders May 1.“We have cartels from around the world,” May said. “You name any South American country, we have it here.”The shock value is immediate, as it conjures images of a city overrun by violence and … [Read more...] about Colorado’s black market marijuana: Are authorities wrongly blaming cartels?
Colorado’s black market marijuana: If data is correct, authorities wrongly blaming cartels
Editor’s note: The Gazette continues its Collateral Impact series, which takes a look at the effects and sometimes unintended consequences of legalized marijuana in Colorado.A frequently used criticism by law enforcement of Colorado’s legalized marijuana industry is that it invited dangerous drug cartels into the state, where they operate in black market shadows.Law enforcement in El Paso, Teller and Pueblo counties say it in news releases when perpetrators are of Cuban or Mexican descent. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, said it in January, alleging “cartels have rushed into Colorado, resulting in 19 cartel operation busts in the last 18 months.”And 4th Judicial District Attorney Dan May repeated it to a crowd of community leaders May 1.“We have cartels from around the world,” May said. “You name any South American country, we have it here.”The shock value is immediate, as it conjures images of a city overrun by violence and … [Read more...] about Colorado’s black market marijuana: If data is correct, authorities wrongly blaming cartels
Facebook exposed as a black market for body parts harvested from endangered wildlife
Tuesday, April 17, 2018 by: Ethan Huff Tags: black market, body parts, corruption, deception, endangered wildlife, evil, Facebook, illegal sales, illegal trade, Instagram, investigation, mark zuckerberg, Messenger, organ harvesting, SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Social media, WhatsApp (Natural News) As a publicly traded company, social media giant Facebook has certain obligations and responsibilities to closely monitor what crosses its platform in order to prevent illicit and illegal activity. But the company has been utterly failing in this regard, with one of the latest examples being its allowance of pages on the site that operate black market sales of endangered wildlife body parts. A screenshot that’s been making the mainstream media rounds shows buckets of tiger teeth being offered for sale, which represents an illegal activity. Conservation and wildlife preservation groups quickly took notice, and immediately filed complaints with the federal Securities … [Read more...] about Facebook exposed as a black market for body parts harvested from endangered wildlife