Florida

Florida’s 14 major water ports, advanced transportation infrastructure, and of course world-famous beaches and shoreline (the second-longest in the United States) also make it attractive to smugglers and traffickers. Florida has always been particularly vulnerable to illegal trade, and in the past few years, even more criminal organizations have poured resources into the Sunshine State.

In 2019, Florida was the U.S. state or territory with the largest amount of cocaine seizures by weight. Even more, Florida ranks third in U.S. in human trafficking cases, totaling 5,384 total cases since 2007.   From 2015 to 2016, federal law enforcement in Florida seized over $88 million in smuggled currency, second most in the nation.

The criminals that traffic in drugs and people are the same criminals that traffic in counterfeit apparel and illegal art, wildlife, and tobacco. This illegal trade hurts local taxpayers, who lose $173 million every year through illegal tobacco products alone, but it goes much further than that. Even things like Florida-based websites selling fraudulent automotive parts have significant consequences. These all hurt local economies, hurt the senior citizen community, and ultimately affect the safety and quality of life of all 21 million Floridians.

Florida deserves better, and law enforcement is doing everything they can to combat these criminals. But no agency, government, or industry can solve this growing problem alone. That’s why USA-IT is proud to be on the ground to fight back.

We are United to Safeguard Florida from Illegal Trade.

Working together to fight back

We’re building crucial relationships and sharing our collective, vast expertise with state and local agencies, law enforcement, business communities, and other relevant stakeholders.​ Stay tuned for more updates.