Article by Kotie Geldenhuys
Photos/images courtesy of Pexels and Unsplash
To some, it is simply a cheap drink – it smells like whisky, it tastes like whisky. To others, it is a deadly gamble. Bootlegged (illegal) alcohol, brewed and sold outside the law, is not just a hidden indulgence; it is a tool of organised crime, reaching into communities in ways most people never notice.
Global alcohol sales have rebounded into a trillion-dollar industry, but the sector’s size also makes it a lucrative target for organised crime. Industry estimates show global revenues increased from approximately $1.2 trillion in 2012 to roughly $1.7 trillion in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns cut sales to an estimated $1.5 trillion in 2020 and $1.4 trillion in 2021. Growth is forecast to return, with revenues expected to exceed $2.2 trillion by 2025. The market is divided into three main segments: Beer is the largest, accounting for some $552 billion in sales in 2021, followed by spirits at about $468 billion and wine at roughly $306 billion, according to the OECD (2022).
These huge sums of money, however, have a dark side. The alcohol market’s size and the high margins available from illicit goods create fertile ground for organised crime. Low barriers to entry, the ease with which consumers can be misled into buying counterfeit or untaxed products, and the relatively low risk of detection for many forms of illicit trade challenge law enforcement efforts and public health safeguards.
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[This is only an extract of an article published in Servamus: December 2025. This article is available for purchase.]