HOW TO DETECT HUMAN SMUGGLERS!
Elangovan, October 22, 2018
The growing problem of smuggling, be it human or narcotics, has led to evolution in law enforcement that were not necessary too long ago. Smugglers, you see, have become increasingly more sophisticated. And with this level of sophistication comes a new set of problems that require as sophisticated advancements.
Detecting a human smuggler isn’t easy. But that is not to say that it is impossible. We will discuss the challenges facing detection methods in this article, but before we do, let us go through the effects smuggling has on countries of destination.
A Growing Problem
People have always sought greener pastures. They leave their homes in search for better lives in the developed world, and with this migration comes increased social and economic pressures on the countries chosen.
The Mediterranean has seen an increase in this migration in recent times. Traditionally, though, migrants typically came from Asia, South America, Africa and Eastern Europe. Their destinations were, as typically, North America, Western Europe and Australia.
Documented migrants are not a problem, though. It is the massive amounts of undocumented people, sometimes whole families and communities that poses a threat. And with the red tape associated with these migrations, criminal networks have made it their business to help smuggle people into countries that are, for the most part, ill-equipped for this influx.
Economic instability and conflict are some of the main reasons for the surge in illegal migrants, and with these motivators, criminal organizations have a bevy of human stock to choose from, making human smuggling one of the highest crimes on the list of law enforcement agencies, worldwide.
Human smuggling and human trafficking are closely related. But let us discuss briefly these two concepts. These explanations will give you insights into spotting a smuggler, because they help you identify the person or persons being smuggled.
Human Smuggling versus Human Trafficking
The primary difference between illegal migrants, which are usually the target of human smuggling rings, and humans being trafficked, is that the latter are usually destined for the international sex trade, while the former are desperately seeking refuge from the dire conditions usually experienced in their countries of origin.
Since illegal migrants, illegal workers, wanted persons, blacklisted individuals, and in fact anybody who finds themselves in a new country, undocumented with limited options often end up in the sex trade anyway, it is easy to see how these two concepts can become confused, the line between one and the other often very blurry.
In one report, by the International Organization for Migration, it was estimated that about 3700 people died on the Mediterranean between January 2016 and October 2016. That is a lot of lives in a very short space of time. It has therefore become paramount to be able to spot the perpetrators in this exceptionally inhumane practice.
How can we detect human smugglers, though, when they change their modus operandi as soon as it has been discovered?
Detecting Human Smugglers
The following facts about human smugglers make them exceptionally difficult to track down:
- In many cases, they are known to the people they are smuggling
- They change phone numbers and phones regularly, often making use of multiple phones
- They make use of rental vehicles
- They seldom travel with the people they are smuggling
- Routes and methods change often in response to law enforcement and legislative activities
- The people at the heads of these smuggling rings almost never get their hands dirty
It is very similar to the use of drug mules, who are often the ones apprehended at airports and other border control posts. Nothing usually leads back to the masterminds behind these operations, making it that much harder to apprehend the real culprits.
Note the following, though:
- Special agent Robert Tureaud of Seattle has been noted as saying that the use of all-metal shipping containers remains the number one method of transporting humans. He also said that that containers with soft tops will be targeted in the future.
- Deputy director of INS in Los Angeles, Rosemary Melville also spoke of the trend to use soft to versus hard top containers, finding this alarming since there have already been deaths reported in the soft-tops.
What this shows is that even though routes differ, arrival and departure times differ, and the duration of journeys differ, a few things remains standard, and therefore, with vigilant law enforcement efforts, the migrants can be apprehended.
How does this lead back to the human smugglers themselves, though?
Asylum laws differ greatly across the spectrum. Applicants need to show a credible fear of returning to their home countries before they can be considered for asylum. No doubt, these fears stem in part from the smugglers, who threaten migrants and their families if anyone should let slip their identity.
If these people are to be apprehended, therefore, and this scourge curbed, we need asylum laws that guarantee the safety of asylum seekers, protecting at the very least their identity in cases where they are corporative with law enforcement.
The Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
Human smugglers are not the sinister criminals we expect them to be, in most cases. They are often legitimate businessmen with strong ties to the local community. In many cases they are loved and trusted by the community, which makes it easy for desperate people to accept the inhumane travel arrangements designed by these individuals, and pay for it.
Curbing these activities will therefore be an active, ongoing problem for some time. In fact, as long as people are desperate for the ‘greener pastures’ promised by human smugglers, we can expect to see an increase in their activities, with the development of ever more sophisticated methodologies.
Law enforcement and people on the ground will therefore need to work together, and root out this problem. The reason for this cooperation is that very often, people will be approached by smugglers, something that doesn’t happen at all with law enforcement. And, at least, there are a few ways for communities to detect human smugglers:
- Beware of being offered passage to a foreign country without the necessary documentation
- Be as weary of the means by which you are promised to get you there
- Be careful about paying fees to anybody where the arrangements for your travel are dubious
Customs inspectors alone cannot solve this problem, because they are usually involved at the delivery end. We really need to up the detection game before people are packed in shipping containers with little water, even less food, little air to breathe, and only the promise of a better life that will probably never come!
References
Mike Brunker, NBCNews.com (February 8, 2000)
International Criminal Police Organization, https://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Trafficking-in-human-beings/People-smuggling
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