Money laundering. Terrorist finance. Drug trafficking. Arms smuggling. Illicit trafficking of wildlife, human body parts, and ancient historical artifacts. Tax havens. Proliferation of WMDs. Oil bunkering. Human smuggling and the modern day slave trade. Conflict minerals and blood diamonds.

These are not just abstract terms, but billion dollar globalized industries that are part of the world’s globally interconnected economy and which overlap with and exacerbate terrorism, war and conflict, corruption, authoritarianism, and other contemporary security threats. The unregulated nature of such industries undermines the sustainability of the environment, international markets and society at large. The COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated the already multi-dimensional nature of illicit trade and requires students, scholars and practitioners to approach the topic in a holistic way. A multi-disciplinary approach is needed to understand the contemporary changes in the world of illicit trade. 

“In just one week, I learned a lot about illicit trade and all its aspects from the Illicit Trade Summer School. What I liked most about about it was the diversity of both lecturers and attendants, which allowed for interesting discussions about the multifaceted topic. Between academics, judges, law enforcement, bankers, conservationists and more, the wide range of interesting people who told about their experiences in the field of illicit trade made the intense week very gratifying. The atmosphere was very welcoming and open, so even for those of us students who were only just beginning to learn about the topics discussed there was room to participate. If you are looking to familiarize yourself with the many sides of the world of illicit transnational trade, this summer school is the perfect place to start. I would highly recommend it!”

Daniël

“The Illicit Trade Summer School was a really great experience: Not only do I now know more about transnational crime networks, concrete illicit trade practices and the challenges of their combat, but I also met great people from all around the world from Indonesia to Brazil!”

Sinu

“When I decided to go to the Illicit Trade Summer School, I was not sure what to expect.
I can ensure that it was an amazing week. The lectures are organized in accordance with the Illicit trade flow (Trade – Goods – Money) and notwithstanding they are taught by different professors, they are connected to each other resulting in a dense learning. In addition, I had the opportunity to spend a week with amazing people. Colleagues, professors and assistants were an important part to make the learning lighter and to make the intense week much more fun.
Finally, I couldn’t forget to mention how beautiful Groningen is”

Carolina