Smuggling Paradises

Throughout history, port cities and the smuggling of drugs have been closely connected. From the recent tv-series Poldark to the 4,000 kilos of drugs that were seized in the port of Rotterdam in 2021, historian Stephen Snelders writes about the roots and representation of smuggling through ports. Understanding the past of smuggling practices, he argues, is crucial to analyze the social and cultural effects of the drug trade on present day port city societies.