Smuggling tunnel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Smuggling tunnels are secret tunnels, usually hidden underground, used for smuggling of goods and people.
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[edit] Smuggling tunnel in Sarajevo, Bosnia
During the Siege of Sarajevo a tunnel underneath the no-man's land of the city's (closed) airport provided a vital smuggling link for the beleaguered city residents. Guns were smuggled into the city and (at what critics said were exploitively high rates) people were smuggled out.
It features in the British film "Welcome to Sarajevo" and the dark Serbian satire of conflict "Underground".
[edit] Smuggling tunnels in Rafah, Gaza Strip
Smuggling tunnels connect Egypt and the Gaza Strip, bypassing the international border established by the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. The tunnels pass under the "Philadelphi buffer zone" (also called "Philadelphi Route" ציר פילדלפי in Hebrew)—an area given to Israeli military control in the Oslo accords in order to secure the border with Egypt.
[edit] Purpose of the tunnels
The tunnels connect the Egyptian town of Rafah with the Palestinian refugee camp of Rafah. These tunnels are used to smuggle people, mostly militants escaping from Israeli responses to their actions, and a wide variety of items, including food, clothes, cigarettes, alcohol, and vehicle parts. With the beginning of the al-Aqsa Intifada, the tunnels were used mainly for smuggling of weapons and explosives used by Palestinian militants.
[edit] Description of the tunnels
Rafah is located on the borderline of the Gaza Strip and Egypt. As a result of this geographical location, it accommodated tunnels and has a history of smuggling. These tunnels were and are mainly used by Palestinian terrorist organisations for weapon smuggling, and bringing cheap goods from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.
The tunnels are normally dug by individuals from basements of houses or an olive grove under the border at depths of up to 15 meters (49 feet), reaching up to 800 meters (2640 feet) in length. In few cases, the owners of the houses might receive a portion of the profits from the smuggling and maybe some sort of financial compensation from those in charge of the tunnel building if the tunnel is discovered and the house destroyed.
[edit] The tunnels as businesses
The tunnels are run as businesses, mainly by the Abu Samhadana and Abu Rish families, both of Bedouin origin. Smuggling provides tens of thousands of dollars in profits for each delivery. Some sources have also reported financial links to the Arafat family. [1]
According to one report [2], the cost of smuggling a person from Egypt into the Gaza strip is $1000. A Kalashnikov rifle in the Gaza Strip can cost up to $1000 compared with 2000 Egyptian pounds ($320) across the border. A single bullet costs $3 in Gaza compared with $0.08 in Egypt.
As of May 19, 2004 SA-7 Strela-2 shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles, AT-3 Sagger anti-tank missiles, and other long-range rockets are reported to be stored on the Egyptian side of the border waiting to be smuggled through tunnels into the Gaza Strip. [3]
[edit] Operation Rainbow
Between September 2000 and May 2004 ninety tunnel egresses leading to a few tunnels connecting Egypt and the Gaza Strip have been found and destroyed by the Israeli Defence Forces. [4]. One of the operations to destroy these tunnels and damage the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza was the controversial Operation Rainbow.
[edit] Arafat family connection
It is believed that some of the tunnels were controlled by one of the Palestinian Authority security services under the command of Moussa Arafat, cousin of Yasser Arafat. Until his assassination at the hands of a rival Palestinian faction in 2005, Moussa Arafat was believed to receive a portion of the profits derived from the smuggling tunnels. [5]
[edit] The American smuggling tunnels
[edit] Early history
Shanghai tunnels have been used to smuggle people out of the United States to work as slaves aboard ships.
The long land borders of the United States have always attracted drug smugglers, and countless tunnels have been built.
[edit] Post-September 11th U.S. responses to tunnels
Due to the country's restrictive policy on immigration in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and heightened security, many more secret tunnels were built to enter the country from Mexico, most running between Tijuana on the Mexican side and San Diego, California on the American side.
The prevalent use is drug smuggling, but many other operations have been discovered. About 35 such tunnels have been uncovered.
[edit] U.S.-Canadian drug smuggling tunnel
In early 2005, a group of Canadian drug-smugglers took up the idea, and constructed a tunnel between a greenhouse in Langley, British Columbia and the basement of a house in Lynden, Washington. They bought the two properties and began construction work. Authorities were alerted when a neighbour noticed the large-scale construction work being undertaken in the greenhouse. On inspection, it was apparent that tons of construction material was entering, and piles of dirt were coming out.
It became known within a short time by both American and Canadian border authorities that a tunnel was being built. Video and audio devices were installed secretly by customs officials both at the termini and in the tunnel itself.
On July 14, the tunnel having been completed, the first packs of marijuana began going through. Officials raided the home soon after and arrested the three men. They then appeared before court in Seattle.
[edit] Largest U.S.-Mexican tunnel is discovered
In late January, 2006, the largest smuggling tunnel to date was found on the US-Mexico border. The 2400-foot-long tunnel runs from a warehouse near the Tijuana airport to a warehouse in San Diego. When discovered, it was devoid of people, but it did contain 2 tons of marijuana. It was 5 feet high and up to 90 feet deep. The floor was made of cement and the walls were dried dirt, with lights lining one side and a ventilation system to keep fresh air circulating. Authorities said it was unclear how long the tunnel had been in operation.
On January 30, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a Mexican Citizen, who was linked to the tunnel via the U.S. warehouse, operated by V&F Distributors LLC. On the Friday before, January 27, immigration authorities reportedly received information that the Mexican cartel behind the operation was threatening the lives of any agents involved with the construction or occupation of the tunnel. US Customs and Immigration, however, pledged to protect them as best they can. Authorities suspect Tijuana's Arellano-Felix drug syndicate, or some other well-known cartel, is behind the tunnel and its operations. [6]
[edit] The Underground Railroad
The subject of Spiritual songs during the period of the Slavery in the Deep South of the United States of America and Washington D.C., the Underground Railroad was a collective name for the overland routes taken by escaped slaves seeking emancipation in the free states of the Northern United States and Canada.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Profits drive smuggling in Rafah
- Exposure of Smuggling Tunnels: A Chronology
- "Light at the end of the tunnel" - Maariv writes up over the battles between the IDF, Palestinian terrorists and the residents of Rafah over the smuggling tunnels.
- In pictures: Searching for Gaza's tunnels
- Razing Rafah Human Rights Watch report on use of tunnels as pretext for mass home demolitions
- Secret U.S.-Mexican Border Tunnel (article with text, picture of tunnel, and map)
