Estimating illicit financial flows resulting from drug trafficking and other transnational organized crimes United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ARMS TRAFFICKING, CAPITAL FLIGHT, CAPITAL OUTFLOW, CORRUPTION, ILLICIT WEALTH The report attempts to shed light on the total amounts likely to be laundered across the globe, as well as the potential attractiveness of various locations to those who launder money. As with all such reports, however, the final monetary estimates were treated with caution. The report also reminds that, contrary to the common misperception that money is neither good nor bad, investments of ‘dirty money’ into licit economies create problems ranging from distortions of resource allocation to the “crowding out” of licit sectors. In some cases, the influx of tainted money undermines the reputations of local institutions. Significantly, these investments can hamper investment and economic growth.The purpose of this study was to examine the magnitude of illicit funds generated by drug trafficking and organized crime, and the extent to which they arelaundered. Research in this area is still limited and results difficult to compare, but likely orders of magnitude may be estimated, though they should be treated with caution. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2011. 2011. Text 140p. http://iffoadatabase.trustafrica.org/iff/illicit_financial_flows_2011_web.pdf