The nexus of organized crime and terrorism: Two case studies in cigarette smuggling
Publication Source
Shelley, L.I., Melzer, S.A.
2008
Publication Title
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice
Publication Type
Journal article
Abstract
This article examines two case studies that illustrate how two different types of actors were involved in a cigarette smuggling-terror nexus. The first case examines R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company’s alleged deliberate sales of its products in Iraq in contravention of the UN embargo and U.S. law. R.J. Reynolds used criminal actors as suppliers and provided financial compensation to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a recognized terrorist
organization, and Uday Hussein (Saddam Hussein’s son) to facilitate this transport. The second case examines a Hezbollah cell operating out of Charlotte, North Carolina. The cell trafficked cigarettes from North Carolina to Michigan, reaping significant profits by exploiting the difference in cigarette tax rates between the two states. The two case studies revealed that terrorist financing occurs in the United States and as a result of the actions of
a terrorist support cell and a U.S.-based company. In both cases, a legitimate commodity was used for illicit purposes.
