Cross-Border Smuggling in the Sahel Region

The concept of smuggling is understood as illicit activities beyond borders. This chapter provides a general framework for understanding smuggling. The objectives of this chapter are threefold. Firstly, the objective is to emphasize the positive correlations between activities such as smuggling and the illicit economy. Secondly, it seeks to unveil the intricate connections between organized crime groups and terrorist organizations, highlighting their symbiotic relationship with smuggling activities. Thirdly, it seeks to demonstrate the substantial financial gains accruing to these groups from such activities. This chapter has focused on the Sahel region, a locale of particular concern due to its highest levels of smuggling in the world. During this section, the focus will be particularly on the examination of human, gun, and mineral smuggling in the Sahel region. It will be addressed the prevalence, characteristics, and effects of these illegal activities on the illegal economy in the context of the Sahel region. The key findings that emerged from this chapter were that smuggling activities have a positive relationship with illegal economies and fuel the illicit economy, and that they also provide a significant source of income for both organized crime networks and terrorist groups involved in such smuggling activities. *CORRIGENDUM on final page*