The introduction notes that the illicit global economy has existed in some form or another as long as the licit global economy has. What has changed over time are the particular illicit cross-border economic activities; the method and speed of transport; the size, structure, and location of the trafficking organizations; the content of national laws and the intensity and form of their enforcement; and the nature and level of consumer demand. Individual chapters focus on transnational organized crime, government power and the regulation of illicit activity in global finance, the illicit trade in hazardous wastes and chlorofluorocarbons, drug law offenses and the Mexican economy, United States drug policies and Colombian stability, and organized crime networks and drug control in Japan. The authors of these seven papers suggest that the illicit global economy has emerged as an important source of conflict and cooperation between countries, government agents, nongovernmental entities, and international organizations. The expanding magnitude of the illicit global economy has been accompanied by domestic and international crime control efforts, which have often included more punitive laws, an enhanced criminal justice apparatus, expanded cross-border police cooperation, and a growing fusion between law enforcement and security missions. The repercussions for international politics are significant. These discussions argue for the inclusion of the illicit global economy in the central debates within the international relations literature. Chapter reference lists and index