ICAIE Announces New Investigative Docuseries 'Illicit Economies of the Shadowverse' in Partnership With Sam Rad

Press Release • Sep 10, 2024 06:00 EDT

The Illicit Economies of the Shadowverse are all around us, everywhere. They know no borders. And they encompass the intricate, often unseen networks of illicit trade and criminalized economies that silently shape our world.

WASHINGTON, September 10, 2024 (Newswire.com) - The International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE), led by former U.S. diplomat and national security official David M. Luna, announced today the launch of its forthcoming docuseries Illicit Economies of the Shadowverse: The Dark Forces Shaping the Global Underworld (“The Shadowverse”).

Produced by ICAIE in partnership with futurist and anthropologist Sam Rad (Samantha Radocchia) who will serve as co-executive producer, this groundbreaking series uncovers the hidden illicit threat networks and bad actors menacing global markets, the rule of law, peace, and democracy itself. As they diversify their criminal portfolios and expand their nefarious empires, their dirty profits help to finance greater chaos, insecurity, and instability.  

Across today’s global threat environment, criminals and bad actors exploit natural disasters, human misery and market shocks for illicit enrichment.

Every year, criminalized trade and trafficking illicit economies kill hundreds of thousands of people around the world; lead to hundreds of billions of dollars in lost revenue for governments to fund sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation strategies; imperil the health and safety of consumers through dangerous fakes and counterfeited products; harm the innovation and competitiveness of industries and open markets; and result in significant job displacement for workers and business closures.

As of 2024, illicit trade has emerged as a Top 5 World Economy (GDP), yielding criminals, bad actors, and illicit threat networks at least $3-5 trillion a year.  Criminal activities include the smuggling and trafficking of deadly fentanyl, opioids, and narcotics; weapons; humans; counterfeit and pirated goods; illicit tobacco and alcohol products; illegally harvested timber, wildlife and fish; pillaged oil, diamonds, critical minerals, and other natural resources; and other illicit commodities and contraband.

The United Nations has estimated that the dirty money laundered annually from such illicit activities constitutes up to five percent of global gross domestic product, or at least $4 trillion.

“Illicit economies and greed crimes are not harmless and have tremendous human, economic, societal, environmental, and security costs and consequences,” said David M. Luna. "From small villages in Africa and Latin America to city streets in the United States, Europe, and Asia, too many communities are impacted by the callous criminality and disregard for human security by organized criminal groups, narco-cartels, threat finance syndicates, complicit kleptocrats, market profiteers, and their professional enablers.” 

The series offers in-depth episodes into the booming criminal activities across borders and digital spheres that shape today’s global ecosystems of criminality and corruption where threat convergence vectors are leveraged by dark forces. Through strategic corruption, co-option of governments, criminal market penetration, exported violence, malign influence operations, transaction laundering, and an array of scams, illegal trade, and exploitative technologies, these bad actors and illicit threat networks harm all communities, unravel the fabric of our humanity, and unbalance the harmony of our planet.

“In an era marked by escalating global challenges, our mission is not just to expose the dark commerce of this parallel universe, but to shine a light so that through understanding and awareness, we can collectively illuminate the world, fostering cooperation, public-private partnerships, and global action,” said Sam Rad. 

This investigative docuseries dives deep into the dark side of global markets, uncovering the clandestine criminal operations that connect disparate locations and seemingly unrelated activities. From the dense forests of the Amazon to the bustling ports and free trade zones around the world, from the cyber battlegrounds of Eastern Europe to the hidden safe financial havens of the West, the Illicit Economies of The Shadowverse reveal the complex web of interactions and influences that drive illicit trade and impact global security.

Each episode is a journey into the heart of a shadowy underworld where geo-security maligns influence operations and economic manipulations, and human struggles converge with corruption and criminality, painting a vivid picture of a reality that, while hidden, impacts us all.

Everything is connected!

Join us on our journey into the Shadowverse. 

The Shadowverse premieres in Fall 2024. For updates and to watch the trailer, visit EnterTheShadowverse.com and globally accessible video streaming providers.

#EnterTheShadowverse 

#EverythingIsConnected

Watch Trailer of Illicit Economies of the Shadowverse: The Dark Forces Shaping the Global Underworld (“The Shadowverse”) here.

Additional Information:

For media inquiries, please contact: 
Sam Rad (Samantha Radocchia)
Co-Executive Producer
sam@entertheshadowverse.com

ABOUT ICAIE | International Coalition Against Illicit Economies

David. M Luna, here.

ABOUT RADOC | RAD ORIGINAL CREATIONS

Sam Rad (Samantha Radocchia), here.

Source: ICAIE