NationStates Jolt Archive

The British Government recently made claims that smuggled cigarettes, smuggled alcohol, pirate videos and DVDs supported organized crime and possibly terrorists. Where is the proof to support this? Where’s the evidence? I do sometimes buy the things listed above but I don't think this supports the Mafia or Alkieda. Most of the people I know who make and smuggle are small time and just want to make some easy money. The media wouldn't be allowed to make claims without evidence so why should our government?

smuggled items and illegal copies of things support teenagers who know the technology better than moldy old law-makers who can't get their own entertainment for cheap.

Pirate videos are cool. Have you seen Pirates of the Caribbean? Captain Jack?

Sometimes I try to smuggle eggs in people's shoes when they aren't wearing them. I don't know exactly where I'm trying to smuggle them to, but I have yet to get them anywhere without their owners discovering them, usually with messy results. :)

They believe that since smuggling is a criminal act so only criminals must be smuggling.

Depends on the scale of smuggling. A mate bringing a few extra cartons of cigarettes over and flogging them to you, or some badly copied videos from a market trader with a double headed video - nope, not organised crime.

But lorry loads of alcohol and cigarettes, which happens in the UK and across Europe, though not so much here as a few years ago - yep, that's probably organised and sometimes by the scary guys. There was even an argument that it should be tacitly allowed, because gangs would prefer it to their traditional activities since it was more profitable and lower risk. The argument doesn't stand up of course, because the low risk smuggling just provides cash for expansion of the orgainsations' other activities. And, certainly in Northern Ireland, smuggling across the land border helped pay for the the terrorists there.

Can't post a link to proof, so you'll just have to take my word for it, but I used to measure this stuff. It's intuitive enough in any case.

The British Government recently made claims that smuggled cigarettes, smuggled alcohol, pirate videos and DVDs supported organized crime and possibly terrorists. Where is the proof to support this? Where’s the evidence? I do sometimes buy the things listed above but I don't think this supports the Mafia or Alkieda. Most of the people I know who make and smuggle are small time and just want to make some easy money. The media wouldn't be allowed to make claims without evidence so why should our government?

Well, the most responsible, moral thing would be to not buy what you know to be stolen goods in the first place, don't you suppose?

Its not stolen, its just illegal

Well its pretty clear that, as smuggling is criminal, any large scale well organized smuggling ring would be, by definition, organized crime. I don't see how bringing in cheap cigarettes supports terronism though. Unless they're Al qaeda lights or something.

Mind you I lived in the UK for twenty years and the government was always making unsubstantiated claims when it suited them. Friends there tell me its even worse now that maniac Blair and his cronies have taken the helm.

I think smoking smuggled cigarettes supports scallies, which is bad, but better they smuggle cigarrettes (which is actually a traditional cottage industry in most of coastal britain) than mug people.

I can see why they said things about smuggling but the pirate dvds is a load of bull.