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Smugglers can get very creative in their quest to successfully transport their goods from one place to another while avoiding detection. Those methods can include some unorthodox forms of transportation, including the camels that were used by a man who was recently nabbed for trying to sneak a sizeable amount of alcohol into one of India’s largest cities.
Humans have been figuring out ways to skirt the law since the concept of legal systems came into being. The act of smuggling has existed in various forms for thousands of years, and it remains alive and well thanks to the many people who can go to great lengths to move illegal goods or avoid paying the money they’d have to shell out if they ferried them through the proper channels.
It’s been around a century since the United States provided criminals with a very lucrative revenue stream with the bootlegging and smuggling operations that sprang up during Prohibition. They became largely unviable after the 21st Amendment was ratified, and while that particular form of trafficking is no longer a major issue in America, it is in other countries with stricter laws.
That brings us to India, where authorities recently broke up a smuggling ring that was relying on camels to do its thing.
Two camels were seized by authorities in India who say they were used to transport nearly 2,000 bottles of alcohol in New Delhi
Camels have been used as pack animals since they were domesticated thousands of years ago. They were instrumental in facilitating trade in Africa and Central Asia, and both the dromedary (one hump) and Bactrian (two hump) varieties have historically been harnessed for a wide variety of activities in India.
Their services may be less essential in a world where they’ve been boxed out by motorized vehicles, but according to The Times of India, the animals played a central role in a smuggling operation that was dealt a blow on Monday.
The outlet reports police in New Delhi conducted a sting operation after receiving a tip concerning a man who was attempting to transport alcohol from Faridabad to the capital city by stowing it on camels capable of traversing the forests that allowed him to avoid the interstate checkpoints.
Authorities say they were able to nab 48-year-old Vinod Bhadana (who was arrested last year over a similar scheme) after tracking him down along with two camels that were carrying 1,938 containers of illicit alcohol. According to CBS News, the load was destined for bicycle rickshaw couriers who would have delivered them to customers looking to avoid paying the taxes that can account for the majority of the price of a purchase of a typical bottle in the region.