The New Underworld: How Covid-19 helps create new kinds of criminals

Lockdown conditions imposed all over the world have succeeded in halting certain types of illegal trade – but also given rise to new and expanded black markets. And while some of them are relatively benign, others are anything but. In this episode of our podcast, we’re taking a look at the Covid-19 underworld: how the global lockdown has both disrupted traditional black markets, but also birthed new kinds of criminals. We’re taking a trip to the underbelly of the Dark Web, where the illegal products for sale now include the blood of people who have tested positive for coronavirus; and we’re zooming in on one particular South African black market, the trade in abalone, to see what effects the lockdown has had on this type of illegal trade. Additional audio: The Most Trafficked Animal in The World is Probably One You've Never Heard Of, by Fusion Media Motherhacker podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motherhacker/id1487213874 Additional reading: Coronavirus source found in pangolin meat, by Don Pinnock and Tiara Walters on Daily Maverick South Africa’s abalone black market is being squeezed by Covid-19, by Kimon de Greef on Haika Poacher: Confessions from the Abalone underworld, by Kimon de Greef and Shuhood Abader