Bangkok, Thailand: Smuggling of migrants poses a significant threat to Asia, generating an annual value of US$2 billion for criminal groups and leading to deaths and human rights abuses, warns the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in a new report released today.

The report ‘Migrant Smuggling in Asia: Current Trends and Related Challenges’ analyzes the smuggling of migrants in 28 states from the Middle East to the Pacific and finds that criminal networks are creatively exploiting gaps between demand and regular migration, with smuggling fees to get to some destinations now reported as high as US$50,000.