Untangling the knot : human smuggling, terrorism and transnational crime

Abstract

According to much contemporary literature on the illicit global economy, there is a convergence between different groups involved in transnational organized crimes such as drug trafficking, smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons, as well as terrorism. This has increased the urgency of countries’ efforts to stem irregular migration, and some countries have militarized their border controls. However, a closer look at two prominent groups, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), shows that neither group has consistently used smuggling of migrants as a source of revenue. Moreover, the organization and aims of these two groups are geared towards the acquisition of territorial control, which does not match the short timescales and operational nimbleness required of migrant-smuggling groups. The authors thus argue that the oftalleged link between organized crime, terrorism and human smuggling is largely artificial.