Did you know that sand smuggling is the third-largest mafia business in the world? As reported on the website "Observatorial", the extraction of sand from unauthorized sites and the smuggling and sale of this sand is the third-largest criminal business in the world. Experts estimate that between 200 and 350 billion dollars worth of illegal sand is in circulation worldwide every year.
When Toni Wesin, Chief Operating Officer and founder of Resand Oy Ltd. created his company, it became evident how valuable the raw material sand is.
Why every grain of recycled sand is a win for the sand industry
"When I had the idea of sand recycling, at first I didn't realize how critical this resource is and how much criminal potential it holds," so Toni Wesin, Chief Operating Officer and founder of Resand Oy. "We focus on emission savings that can be achieved by recycling sand instead of using virgin sand. At Resand Oy Ltd, every grain of recycled sand is a win for the sand industry - and a contribution against the illegal sand trade."
Behind the illegal digging and transport of sand are criminal organizations that Scientific American and many other magazines call the "sand mafia". The means can be brutal. According to ABC India, the sand mafia has murdered several hundred people in recent decades.
Illegal sand trade in India, Southeast Asia, China, North Korea and Morocco
Typical locations for organized sand crime and other illegal sand mining are India, Southeast Asia, China, North Korea and Morocco. In Southeast Asia, the sand trade has even led to a state-level dispute between Singapore, which imports the sand, and Malaysia, as the Reuters news agency reported a few years ago.
Even if the figure of 200 to 350 billion dollars for the sand trade were a slightly exaggerated figure, the criminal sand trade is still high up on the list. Compared to counterfeiting, drugs, sand, timber and human trafficking, all other areas of crime remain trivial.
Sources: www.observatorial.com, Wikimedia Commons, Reuters, Robert Pastryk / Zuma
