Persian Rugs and Smuggling
08-11-2011 / By:
Although there is obviously nothing clandestine inherent in Persian rugs, they have often been used in fiction and in reality throughout history as a means for transportation of contraband. A rolled up Perisan rug delivered Cleopatra to Julius Caesar in Egypt. Rolled up carpets make useful tools for smuggling drugs and other goods.
Smuggling is tough to do. You need to know the right people and have good connections, and you need to be trying to move the right kind of products, the kind of thing that in high enough demand so you can get a lot of money for it. The main thing about the black market is that it provides good and/or service that cannot be obtained (or easily obtained) thorugh legal means. In most places, that's weapons, drugs, and maybe some other weird things. Like organs. Or illegal computer or self-enhancement technology.
Han Solo was a smuggler. He is but one of the many famous and super awesome smugglers throughout history. He made his living in the seventies, smuggling illegal droids and actually we're not really sure what else. He worked for Jabba the Hutt, though, so you know it probably wasn't anything that might be talked about in polite company.
Han Solo gave smuggling its star studded, glamarous reputation but really the work is pretty grungy and difficult. Many methods for smuggling are not as nice as a rolled up carpet, and quite dangerous. Innocent bystanders often get unfortunately involved and then injured, like in Mexico right now.
Smuggling is actually easiest in the context of an entire gang, instead of just freelance. If you have an entire infrastrucure manned by people who are pretty good at doing their specific step in the process, the whole thing can go a lot more smoothly. You have your person who obtains the good, the person who appraises the goods, the person who is in charge of transporting them, all of that person's minions, and the person in charge of selling it either to the buyers or the distributors if we're talking wholesale. It's a complex process.
Smuggling is tough to do. You need to know the right people and have good connections, and you need to be trying to move the right kind of products, the kind of thing that in high enough demand so you can get a lot of money for it. The main thing about the black market is that it provides good and/or service that cannot be obtained (or easily obtained) thorugh legal means. In most places, that's weapons, drugs, and maybe some other weird things. Like organs. Or illegal computer or self-enhancement technology.
Han Solo was a smuggler. He is but one of the many famous and super awesome smugglers throughout history. He made his living in the seventies, smuggling illegal droids and actually we're not really sure what else. He worked for Jabba the Hutt, though, so you know it probably wasn't anything that might be talked about in polite company.
Han Solo gave smuggling its star studded, glamarous reputation but really the work is pretty grungy and difficult. Many methods for smuggling are not as nice as a rolled up carpet, and quite dangerous. Innocent bystanders often get unfortunately involved and then injured, like in Mexico right now.
Smuggling is actually easiest in the context of an entire gang, instead of just freelance. If you have an entire infrastrucure manned by people who are pretty good at doing their specific step in the process, the whole thing can go a lot more smoothly. You have your person who obtains the good, the person who appraises the goods, the person who is in charge of transporting them, all of that person's minions, and the person in charge of selling it either to the buyers or the distributors if we're talking wholesale. It's a complex process.
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