Abstract
Like the path of many contraband commodities, trafficked cultural objects cross countless legal borders and intersect with the legitimate market world at a number of critical transit junctures, which supports the concept of a single “grey” market. These transit settings, where different elements of trafficking networks must converge, are sites of vulnerability for criminals and opportunity for law enforcement intervention. For this discussion, the case study of Subhash Kapoor’s trafficking network will be used as a frame of reference throughout the essay to support the idea that a port, as an interface in the global supply chain, is a critical site for analysis and understanding of international trafficking in cultural objects. What follows is a discussion of conceptualisations of organised crime in late modernity, a spatial analysis of the global cultural heritage trade, and an overview of the securitisation and role of sea ports in trade.
Highlights
Throughout the sequence of events that make up antiquity trafficking networks, there is neglected opportunity on the part of law enforcement to intervene within the complex realm of transit security
The recently on trial and well-known trafficking network associated with Subhash Kapoor will be used as a case study throughout to discuss the larger concerns of: (1) conceptualizing organized crime in late modern times; (2) a spatial analysis of the global antiquity trade; (3) an overview of trade ports and heightened security measures; (4) regulatory responses at ports; and, (5) implications for the future of transnational antiquities trafficking
This approach is grounded in the many rumours and questionable reports of antiquities being used as laundering placeholders for drug money or funds for other international illicit activities, which is linked to larger systemic issues of local political and bureaucratic corruption, militias in conflict states, and mafia/ organized crime groups
Summary
Throughout the sequence of events that make up antiquity trafficking networks, there is neglected opportunity on the part of law enforcement to intervene within the complex realm of transit security. The smuggling of antiquities by organized crime groups is a global concern that has consequences for international trade.
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