The Phenomenon of Customs Smuggling in Zakho District during the Royal Era (1921-1958); A Historical Documentary Study.

Abstract

After the establishment of the modern Iraqi state in 1921, Iraq faced many problems in all the political, social and economic domains. The spread of the custom smuggling phenomenon was one of the problems that the fledgling Iraqi economy has suffered from, the smuggling was expanded and exacerabated during the royal era. Smuggling became prevalent and eventually led to serious repercussions for the Mosul Province, especially the border town of                                                                                           Zakho. This study aims to determine the factors underlying the rise and spread of this phenomenon in Zakho at the time. The study also explores the most widely smuggled goods from Iraq through Zakho to Turkey and Syria and from these two countries to the rest of Iraq through Zakho during this particular era. It sheds light on the types of measures that were taken by the Iraqi government authorities in the Mosul province and the municipality of Zakho district to combat and prevent smuggling in this strategic border region.  The study also deals with the complicity of some government agencies, especially police and customs officers with smugglers and how the government was monitoring that at that time.