TURKEYS' BOOMING COUNTERFEIT DESIGNER GOODS FACTORIES PROVIDE A PERFECT COVER FOR NARCOTICS TRAFFICKERS EMPLOYING TBML INTO AND OUT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Turkey, whose covert counterfeit goods factories produce massive number of fakes of designer goods, at a level just behind those of Mainland China and Hong Kong, gives Europe-based drug traffickers the perfect tool in which to embed their narco-profits for repatriation abroad. Clever counterfeiters mix their exported fakes amidst a small amount of the genuine products, and by invoicing all of it at the wholesale rate for the real thing, can then drop their EU profits into the billing, disguised as simply payments for goods sold and delivered. Cooperative importers play along for a piece of the action, and succeed due to the volume of goods in international trade EU to TURKEY to EU.

While we understand EU inspectors can catch some of the bogus shipments in transit, the lion's share most certainly escape interdiction, in part due to corruption. EU law enforcement agencies would do well to compare invoices on inbound goods shipments from Turkey to Member states with the actual items delivered. It's just a clever permutation on traditional Trade-Based Money Laundering, but it works exceedingly well.