Dawn of the Geeks

Many people know that the diamond trade is tainted with blood. Even John Stossel covered that story. But this is news to me.

Knockoff Dealers Could Have Designs on Terror

WASHINGTON — When Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. John Stedman was booking a clothing store owner last year on charges of selling counterfeit high-fashion merchandise, his attention was drawn to the large and colorful tattoo on the man’s arm.

The tattoo included Arabic writing, suggesting it wasn’t a gang symbol or the mark of one of the many organized crime syndicates that have helped make dealing in knockoff goods — like Gucci handbags, Prada shoes and Louis Vuitton watches — a multibillion-dollar industry in the United States.

It turned out to be a symbol of allegiance to Hezbollah, the Islamic militant organization that the U.S. government has designated as a terrorist group.

Why Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization

More about the group