History of smuggling in England

In England smuggling first became a recognized problem in the 13th century, after the creation of a national customs collection system by Edward I in 1275. Medieval smuggling tended to focus on the export of highly taxed export goods — wool and hides. Merchants also, however, sometimes smuggled other goods to circumvent prohibitions or embargoes on particular trades. Grain, for instance, was usually prohibited from export, unless prices were low, because of fears that grain exports would raise the price of food in England and thus cause food shortages and / or civil unrest. Following the loss of Gascony to the French in 1453, imports of wine were also sometimes embargoed during wars to try and deprive the French of the revenues that could be earned from their main export. In England wool continued to be smuggled to the continent in the 17th century, under the pressure of high excise taxes.

The high rates of duty levied on tea and also 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 the smuggling industry was for many communities more economically significant than legal activities such as farming and fishing.

Before the era of drug smuggling and human trafficking, smuggling had acquired a kind of nostalgic romanticism.

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History of smuggling in the usa

After American independence in 1783, smuggling developed at the edges of the United States at places like Passamaquoddy Bay, St. Mary's in Georgia, Lake Champlain, and Louisiana. During Thomas Jefferson's embargo of 1807-1809, these places became the primary places where goods were smuggled out of the nation in defiance of the law. Like Britain, a gradual liberalization of trade laws as part of the free trade movement meant less smuggling. In 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt tried to cut down on smuggling by establishing the Roosevelt Reservation along the United States-Mexico Border. Smuggling revived in the 1920s during Prohibition, and drug smuggling became a major problem after 1970.

In modern times, 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.

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Reasons for Smuggling

Many individuals who consent to being smuggled are escaping poverty, seeking opportunities abroad, or escaping natural disaster, conflict, or persecution. Others may be seeking asylum. While many who are smuggled are poor and uneducated, there are also others who belong to the educated middle class. As such, perhaps the only generalization that can be made about smuggled individuals is that they are all on a quest for a better life.

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Coalition against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT)

CAWT was established in 2005 by the U.S. Department of State as a voluntary public-private coalition of like-minded governments and organizations that share the common goal of ending the illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife products. CAWT currently includes 6 governments and 13 international NGOs. Together they are working towards curbing the demand by raising public awareness of the problem of wildlife smuggling and trade, limiting supply by building international cross-border law enforcement and by mobilizing high level political support by convincing influential decision makers to take action.

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A common misconception is that human trafficking only occurs in poor countries. But every country in the world is involved in the underground, lucrative system. A “source country” is a country from which people are trafficked. Usually, these countries are destitute and may have been further weakened by war, corruption, natural disasters or climate. Some source countries are Nepal, Guatemala, the former Soviet territories, and Nigeria, but there are many more. A “transit country”, like Mexico or Israel, is a temporary stop on trafficked victims’ journey to the country where they will be enslaved. A “destination country” is where trafficked persons end up. These countries are generally affluent, since they must have citizens with enough disposable income to "buy" the traffickers' "products". Japan, India, much of Western Europe, and the United States are all destination countries.

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