Illegal trade, smuggling and forgery of luxury/priceless goods/works of art - Essay Example

Creative writing: Illegal trade, smuggling and forgery of luxury/priceless goods/works of art The first item in the list of fouris “Rolex”. It was manufactured in a Chinese sweatshop, and I imported it under fraud related to the origin of the merchandise, where the illegal trafficking makes use of fake and counterfeited documents (Todorov, Ognian and Aleksandur, 24). I smuggled the Rolex from China into the USA via Thailand, and then through Africa; a route that is rarely manned sufficiently to account for any counterfeit product or illegally traded goods passing, and gained entry through the Virgins Island. Considering that the USA laws of illegal trade, smuggling and counterfeits do not apply in the Virgin Islands, as well as many other peripheral islands, a boat was used to move the Rolex to Virgin Islands, after which it was placed in an antique shop in the region, and counterfeit receipts were prepared to indicate that it was legally imported from China. After preparing fake documentation of the Rolex as part of the stock in the antique shop in Virgin Islands, the normal purchase process was followed, with actual documentation of the transaction in the shop, and the provision of a receipt to that effect. This being the case, that Rolex was then transported to Manhattan and I comfortably wear and displayed it even in the presence of authorities, considering that there already exists a receipt for the purchase of the Rolex from a genuine shop in Virgin Islands, thus authenticating and giving its purchase and use a force of law that is undeniable. Despite the fact that there are still chances that the possession of the Rolex would be discovered and termed as an illegality, the fact that fake documentation for its importation and genuine receipt for its purchase from Virgin Islands exists, means that it is difficult for the authorities to criminalize its possession and use (Todorov, Ognian and Aleksandur, 22). The vases that are on an Interpol watch list which were recently lifted from the Iraq National Museum, forms the other commodity that I smuggled into the country under the transit fraud, which refers to the fraud related to the transiting of goods by applying the genuine import channels, but through exploiting the existing loopholes in these channels to have the illegal commodity pass through authorities and spot-checks into the country (Todorov, Ognian and Aleksandur, 25). Considering that the use of shipping as a means of transport for commodities is a popular method, which is nevertheless not sufficiently manned, importing the vases through containers was easy, because the authorities are only able to scrutinize approximately 10% of the containers, while the rest can still pass while posing different descriptions, yet they contain illegal and contraband goods (Todorov, Ognian and Aleksandur, 21). The vases were stolen from the museum through a well-planned cartel of international theft and smugglers operating internationally, after which they were packed in a containers and given a genuine description of legal goods, considering that the container with the stolen vases was parked alongside 50 more containers of genuine agricultural commodities imported from Iraq, and all were shipped in one batch. The authorities at the docks and the inspection sections were only able to inspect 4 amongst the 50 containers for their content, and the shipment was cleared and given genuine clearance documentation of agricultural products. Therefore, the inability of the authorities to undertake full inspection of goods provided me the opportunity to exploit legitimate shipping routes to import illegal commodities. considering that there are always hundreds of thousands and even millions of containers being shipped annually, while the capacity of the inspection department is inadequate to allow for full inspection of every single container, I was able to smuggle the vases into the country without being detected (Todorov, Ognian and Aleksandur, 27). I imported the mahogany in the table along with the parrot in the cage, which are both banned under CITES (the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species), under fraud related to the intended use and end-consumer, where the end consumer is eventually changed, and the commodities applied for the unintended purpose (Todorov, Ognian and Aleksandur, 25). I imported the species under the pretence of a different intended use and end-consumer, where I registered the importation of the mahogany timber pieces and the parrot in the name of a museum, which is authorized to possess, handle and take care of commodities or items that are facing the danger of extinction, including certain species of plants and animals. However, after reaching the country, I changed the initial use for which the mahogany timber and the parrot were registered to be applied, and instead, I applied the timber towards constructing the table, while the parrot was never delivered to any museum, and instead I built a cage for it, and kept in the house. Despite the fact that the possession of the two items in the house is illegal since they are categorized as species under the danger of extinction and therefore they are banned from being in the possession of individuals, there is an appropriate defense I can appply in this case, considering that intent forms the basis of prosecution in the justice system, and it will be the duty of the prosecution to show that the mental intent of possessing and keeping the endangered species that I had, involved some element of intentional dishonesty (Todorov, Ognian and Aleksandur, 25). It is difficult for the prosecution to prove the intent, while also considering that it is not possible to identify the origin of the species, and whether I am applying them for the unintended use. Finally, I imported the wine that had the label as the only vintage under the fraud involving inaccurate description of merchandise, which mostly entails the application of discrepancies in the description and packaging of the merchandize (Todorov, Ognian and Aleksandur, 22). The use of night train as the means of transport, facilitated the smooth movement of the illegal commodity that I imported from Mexico, considering that there is less inspection of the commodities imported from Mexico, especially through the night trains. Further, considering that there are less authorized personnel to inspect goods carried by the passengers in the trains, while there also exist a loophole for placing the commodities on the roof of the train, which is not an easy region for the authorities to inspect, it was not hard for me to smuggle the wine. Additionally, considering that I have now packed the wine in genuine vintage label, it will not be easy for the authorities to detect the discrepancy. Works Cited Todorov, Boiko, Ognian Shentov, and Aleksandur Stoianov. Corruption and Illegal Trafficking: Monitoring and Prevention : Assessment Methodologies and Models of Counteracting Transborder Crime. Sofia: Center for the Study of Democracy, 2000. 20-34. Print. Read More