The greater the risks/penalties, the higher the markup/profit, and therefore the more attractive the business model.
The economics of illicit drug trafficking.
https://www.investopedia.com/article...rafficking.asp
https://www.investopedia.com/article...ack-market.asp
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.o...-policy-reform
https://transformdrugs.org/wp-conten...briefing-1.pdf