The author of a new book on global illicit trade said it carries an implicit message for general counsel: The problem is greater than you think, and you need to be doing more to tackle it.

Louise Shelley is the author of “Dark Commerce: How a New Illicit Economy is Threatening Our Future” from Princeton University Press. Shelley, director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, said in a recent interview that her book focuses not only on traditional criminal actors but also on corporations and their role as facilitators of illicit trade.

The book describes how illicit trade undermines governance, the economy, health, the social order and environmental sustainability in all regions of the globe.