From: In Sight Crime
Written by Michael Lohmuller
Colombia’s Congress has passed a new law that increases penalties for those involved in running contraband, raising concerns that small-time smugglers and local communities that depend on the trade for economic survival will be persecuted.
On June 16, by a vote of 100 against five, Colombia‘s House of Representatives approved a new law increasing penalties and prison time for those found guilty of contraband smuggling and customs fraud, reported El Heraldo.
***
InSight Crime Analysis
Contraband smuggling is widespread in Colombia, and some authorities have even called it a threat to national security given that it provides income for criminals and guerrilla groups and a means for them to launder drug money.
Textiles, cigarettes, alcohol, and gasoline are among the contraband items most commonly smuggled into the country. This illicit trade is especially concentrated along the porous Colombia-Venezuela border — particularly in the state of La Guajira — where groups stand to profit by smuggling subsidized fuel and other goods from Venezuela into Colombia — where they fetch a much higher price. Colombian authorities have even reportedly begun using armed helicopters to patrol the Venezuela border in an effort to combat fuel smuggling.
