Smuggling

From Freepedia

Smuggling is illegal transport, in particular across a border. Taxes are avoided; or the goods themselves are illegal; or people are transported to a place where they are not allowed to be.

It has a long and controversial history, probably dating back to the first time at which duties were imposed in any form.

In Britain, smuggling became economically significant at the end of the 18th century. The high rates of duty levied on wine and spirits, and other luxury goods coming in from mainland Europe at this time made the clandestine import of such goods and the evasion of the duty a highly profitable venture for impoverished fishermen and seafarers. In certain parts of the country such as Cornwall and East Cleveland, the smuggling industry was for many communities more economically significant than legal activities such as farming and fishing. The principal reason for the high duty was the need for the government to finance a number of extremely expensive wars with France and the United States of America.

One method of defeating smuggling is to legalize the activity the smugglers are undertaking and reducing or eliminating the taxes which the smugglers are avoiding, thus reducing the profit potential and making the smuggling activity uneconomic as the goods would then be available for a lower price via legal channels.

Smuggling now is considerably diversified: the smuggling of immigrants, armaments, illegal drugs, as well as the historical staples of smuggling, alcohol and tobacco are widespread throughout the Western world. In many parts of the world, particularly the Gulf of Mexico, the smuggling vessel of choice is the go-fast boat. In addition, many smugglers also fly, either on private airplanes or on regularly scheduled airlines, to traffic their illegal products. A large number of suspected smugglers are caught each year by airport police worldwide. The high level of duty levied on alcohol and tobacco in Britain has led to large-scale smuggling through the Channel Tunnel.

Lately, as many first-world countries have struggled to contain a rising influx of immigrants, the smuggling of people across national borders has become a lucrative extra-legal activity.

Human trafficking

The trafficking in human beings, sometimes called human trafficking, or sex trafficking (as the majority of victims are women or children forced into prostitution) is not the same as people smuggling. A smuggler will facilitate illegal entry into a country for a fee, but on arrival at their destination, the smuggled person is free; the trafficking victim is enslaved. Victims do not agree to be trafficked - they are tricked - lured by false promises - or forced. Traffickers use coercive tactics including deception, fraud, intimidation, isolation, threat and use of physical force, debt bondage or even force-feeding with drugs of abuse to control their victims. Whilst the majority of victims are women, and sometimes children, forced into prostitution, other victims include men, women and children forced into manual labor.

Due to the illegal nature of trafficking, the exact extent is unknown. A US Government report published in 2003, estimates that 800,000-900,000 people worldwide are trafficked across borders each year. This figure does not include those who are trafficked internally. See main article on the trafficking in human beings.

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