Illicit Flows And Trafficking Southern Europe-Maghreb
man beings are also important , whether they are legal , discreet , or outright illegal , as we shall see .
The Underbelly of “ Elusive Globalization ”
Since the end of the colonial era and the migration of the former colonized
to Europe , illicit trade routes have been established that basically resume the historical caravan and peddling routes — less famous than the famous “ Silk
Road ,” but just as real and effective .
With regard to the precise object of our study , an invisible web of discreet trade has thus covered the western Mediterranean and southern Europe for sometimes more than half a century .
Along these routes , for decades or even centuries , there has been a continuous and long-running flow of goods and merchandise that are duty-free and therefore sold as contraband , the state and its customs having been bypassed or even abolished here .
On these routes , small nomadic entrepreneurs — Moroccans in the west and Turks in the east — operate a clandestine cross-border trade , using deliberate and permanent mobility , quite different from migrations with a sedentary objective . In a van , a car , or even two suitcases , these invisible trade agents transport legal , duty-free goods , sometimes even counterfeit goods , and sell them at low prices :
• To the populations of the former colonized countries ; for France , a country in the Maghreb and the Sahel ,
• Poor populations ( migrants , immigrants , etc .) from rich nations , diasporas from colonial times ( from the Maghreb , the Balkans , sub-Saharan Africa , etc .), living in marginalized or outlying neighborhoods in European metropolises , including Marseille , of course , but also Brussels , the Paris region , Berlin , Barcelona , Turin , etc . ( the “ poor-to-poor ” trade ). These North African / African populations present in Europe have long learned to keep quiet , to keep to themselves , two important elements of their culture and their lives :
Everything related to tribal affairs is hidden from the Toubabs ( whites ) for fear of ridicule or mockery . Hardly ever will a Senegalese or a Malian evoke with a smile , in the course of a conversation , a “ cousin affair ” ( a coded formula that designates tribal stories , comical or serious ).
Anything to do with the invisible trade , the trabendo , which is very present in the neighborhoods where stable immigrants live , is also hidden . In these neighborhoods , discussion forums and internet advertisements present these goods . Young people in particular know very well what electronic novelties , sports clothing , or shoes to buy through this
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