Why use trade data in investigations

In the final Stage Talk of the year, we learnt the mechanics of investigating trade data thanks to this week's guest, Bellingcat research consultant and self-confessed data nerd Katherine de Tolly. Using the example of opioid shipments from India to West Africa, Katherine talked us through the intricacies of import-export data and how to navigate the many data gaps/inconsistencies inherit in the system.

The talk was hosted by Charlotte Maher on Thursday December 4th 2025. Music featured is courtesy of Artlist.

Recorded live in the Bellingcat Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/bellingcat

Links mentioned:

Katherine's slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JvDqFnM-caIPo39ez3aennGa9iwB-NwWPh9VXAKUFgg/edit?usp=sharing

Money channel in Discord: https://discord.com/channels/709752884257882135/710247961426395186

Comtrade: https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow

52WMB: https://en.52wmb.com/

BBC investigation: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyew21yyjzo