Smuggling and breaking of naval blockades

Smuggling constitutes a common, timeless and universal practice, which tends to bloom mainly in times of economic hardship. The smugglers distribute their goods illegally seeking to escape taxation and duties to their advantage and to the detriment of the state. However, this profitable activity incurs severe penalties, as it leads to major financial bleeding for the country within which it takes place.

There were times, nevertheless, when this activity was formally encouraged by the state, within whose borders it took place. A typical example were the naval blockades in cases of war, during which, the prohibition of port traffic was imposed by a country on another one. The smuggling of goods by breaking a naval blockade was in that case lifesaving for the affected country, supplying it with basic necessities such as food, medicine and weapons for its defense. In this sense, in times of war this illegal activity was not only a profitable business, but also proved to provide necessary humanitarian assistance.