Have you ever read "Cryptonomicon" by Stephenson?
There's a chapter where the protagonist is led to a pile of stolen WWII Japanese gold deep in the Philippine jungle. He wants it, he needs it for his scheme, but he realizes there is no way he can remove it. The logistics are just too difficult - possibly life threatening. The demand is there, the supply is there, but it ain't going to happen.
When he asks why he was even shown this pile of gold he is told that he is being taught a lesson.
I bring this up not to challenge your assertions, but to recommend a book (or more than one) that delve deeply into this issue.