Smuggling: Difference between revisions
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{{Quote|Smugglers. Such an ugly word. Even slavers are called merchants. Why can't my title be "Queen of the Bog, Protector of Innocents, Paddling Instructor, and Champion of Trade?"|Élise Lafleur to Aveline de Grandpré, 1766.|Assassin's Creed III: Liberation|A Faithful Acolyte}} | {{Quote|Smugglers. Such an ugly word. Even slavers are called merchants. Why can't my title be "Queen of the Bog, Protector of Innocents, Paddling Instructor, and Champion of Trade?"|Élise Lafleur to Aveline de Grandpré, 1766.|Assassin's Creed III: Liberation|A Faithful Acolyte}} | ||
'''Smuggling''' is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or | [[File:ACFT - Opium smuggling.png|thumb|230px|Far East Company employees smuggling opium in Macau]] | ||
'''Smuggling''' is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. | |||
An individual who | An individual who engages in smuggling is known as a '''smuggler'''. They could work alone or in groups, and sometimes with support from the authorities. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Classical Antiquity=== | ===Classical Antiquity=== | ||
[[File:ACOD Grin and Bear It 6.png|thumb|250px|left|Kassandra investigating a smuggler vessel's wreck]] | |||
During the [[Peloponnesian War]], the smuggler [[Iola]] and her crew tried to transport a [[bear]] from [[Arkadia]] to [[Kos]] for the [[merchant]] [[Sargon]]. When they [[shipwreck]]ed on the island of [[Delos]], the bear killed the whole crew except for Iola.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[Grin and Bear It]]</ref> Also during this time, the smuggler [[Okaleia the Lotus Eater|Okaleia]] made her name shipping contraband across the [[Aegean Sea]] until she sampled a forbidden sweet fruit from among her goods. Obsessed with finding its origins, Okaleia took on the epithet "the Lotus Eater" and abandoned her operation to begin a career as a [[mercenary]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[Target menu]]: "Mercenaries: Okaleia the Lotus Eater"</ref> | During the [[Peloponnesian War]], the smuggler [[Iola]] and her crew tried to transport a [[bear]] from [[Arkadia]] to [[Kos]] for the [[merchant]] [[Sargon]]. When they [[shipwreck]]ed on the island of [[Delos]], the bear killed the whole crew except for Iola.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[Grin and Bear It]]</ref> Also during this time, the smuggler [[Okaleia the Lotus Eater|Okaleia]] made her name shipping contraband across the [[Aegean Sea]] until she sampled a forbidden sweet fruit from among her goods. Obsessed with finding its origins, Okaleia took on the epithet "the Lotus Eater" and abandoned her operation to begin a career as a [[mercenary]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' – [[Target menu]]: "Mercenaries: Okaleia the Lotus Eater"</ref> | ||
During the [[Alexandrine | During the [[Alexandrine war]], smugglers known as the [[Hungry Great Ones]] led by "[[Fat Homer]]" worked with the cult of the [[Disciples of the Lioness]]. The [[Medjay]] [[Bayek]] of [[Siwa]] tracked them down as they attacked villagers along the [[Nile]] Delta.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' – [[The Hungry River]]</ref> | ||
When the city of [[Sais]] was ruled by the tyrannical governor [[Sefetu]], [[Jeska]] smuggled the [[Civilian|villagers]] to her hometown [[Mefkat]], becoming a target. She worked with Bayek in defending Mefkat against Sefetu's men and saving [[Pentu]], a villager she smuggled.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' – [[Smoke Over Water]]</ref> | When the city of [[Sais]] was ruled by the tyrannical governor [[Sefetu]], [[Jeska]] smuggled the [[Civilian|villagers]] to her hometown [[Mefkat]], becoming a target. She worked with Bayek in defending Mefkat against Sefetu's men and saving [[Pentu]], a villager she smuggled.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' – [[Smoke Over Water]]</ref> | ||
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In [[Roman Republic|Roman]] [[Cyrenaica]], the [[Greece|Greek]] [[Arsenius]] led a group of smugglers. Working with the scavenger [[Sminthos]], they planned to loot the ''[[Black Crow]]'', a smuggler [[ship]]. Bayek helped Sminthos to recover the goods. When Arsenius double-crossed Sminthos, Bayek saved the scavenger and killed the smugglers.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' – [[The Smugglers of Cyrene]]</ref> | In [[Roman Republic|Roman]] [[Cyrenaica]], the [[Greece|Greek]] [[Arsenius]] led a group of smugglers. Working with the scavenger [[Sminthos]], they planned to loot the ''[[Black Crow]]'', a smuggler [[ship]]. Bayek helped Sminthos to recover the goods. When Arsenius double-crossed Sminthos, Bayek saved the scavenger and killed the smugglers.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' – [[The Smugglers of Cyrene]]</ref> | ||
In 38 BCE, the city of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] was the place of many smuggling activities, especially due to the artifacts and treasure of the [[Valley of the Kings]]. Now a [[ | [[File:ACO CotP - Merti and Sutekh.jpg|thumb|250px|Bayek with the smugglers Sutekh and Merti]] | ||
===Middle | In 38 BCE, the city of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] was the place of many smuggling activities, especially due to the artifacts and treasure of the [[Valley of the Kings]]. Now a [[Assassins|Hidden One]], Bayek was helped by the smugglers [[Merti]] and [[Sutekh]] in his quest to find [[Akhenaten]]'s [[Akhenaten's Apple of Eden|Apple of Eden]] and stop the rumored [[Curse of the Pharaohs|curse]] from long-dead [[pharaoh]]s.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' – ''[[The Curse of the Pharaohs]]'' – [[The Curse of the Pharaohs|The Curse of the Pharaohs]]</ref> In the region, Bayek helped the former smuggler [[Kanika]], who vowed to protect Egyptian relics from [[bandit]]s.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' – ''[[The Curse of the Pharaohs]]'' – [[National Treasures]]</ref> He also convinced the young [[Esiocles]] to stop being a smuggler and to join the Hidden Ones [[Roman Hidden Ones|branch]] in [[Rome]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]] – [[The Curse of the Pharaohs]]'' – [[Floating conversations]]: Encounters across Egypt</ref> | ||
===Middle Ages and Renaissance=== | |||
During the late 9th century, the Dane [[Birna]] operated as a [[Piracy|pirate]] and smuggler in [[England]] before joining the [[Great Heathen Army]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[Storming Ravensburg]]</ref> During the [[Siege of Paris (885-886)|Siege]] of [[Paris]] in 885, the Breton smuggler [[Nolwenn]] sold goods to the [[Vikings]] of the [[Elgring Clan]] and the [[Franks]] in the city.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – ''[[The Siege of Paris]]'' – [[The Count of Paris]]</ref> | During the late 9th century, the Dane [[Birna]] operated as a [[Piracy|pirate]] and smuggler in [[England]] before joining the [[Great Heathen Army]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – [[Storming Ravensburg]]</ref> During the [[Siege of Paris (885-886)|Siege]] of [[Paris]] in 885, the Breton smuggler [[Nolwenn]] sold goods to the [[Vikings]] of the [[Elgring Clan]] and the [[Franks]] in the city.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' – ''[[The Siege of Paris]]'' – [[The Count of Paris]]</ref> | ||
During [[Girolamo Savonarola]]'s brief theocracy over [[Florence]] in the late 1490s, expansive goods were deemed illegal and subject to [[Bonfire of the Vanities|public burnings]], though it did little to merchants like [[Duccio de Luca]], who secretly transported merchandise out of the city.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]] – [[The Da Vinci Disappearance]]'' – [[Database: Duccio de Luca]]</ref> | During [[Girolamo Savonarola]]'s brief theocracy over [[Florence]] in the late 1490s, expansive goods were deemed illegal and subject to [[Bonfire of the Vanities|public burnings]], though it did little to merchants like [[Duccio de Luca]], who secretly transported merchandise out of the city.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]] – [[The Da Vinci Disappearance]]'' – [[Database: Duccio de Luca]]</ref> | ||
During the [[papacy]] of [[Rodrigo Borgia|Alexander VI]], [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] of the [[Roman Rite of the Templar Order| | [[File:Go-To Girl.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Lia de Russo, smuggler and member of the Templar Order]] | ||
During the [[papacy]] of [[Rodrigo Borgia|Alexander VI]], [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] of the [[Roman Rite of the Templar Order|Italian Templars]], the [[Templars|Templar]] smuggler [[Lia de Russo]] operated in Rome, procuring rare objects for [[Cesare Borgia]], sometimes killing in order to obtain them. She was killed by the[[Italian Brotherhood of Assassins| Italian]] [[Master Assassin]] [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] during the [[liberation of Rome]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' – [[Red-Handed]]</ref> | |||
Smuggling was not limited to [[Europe]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]], either. In 1526, during the [[Ming dynasty]] period in [[China]], the [[Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins|Chinese Assassin]] [[Shao Jun]] returned to her homeland to re-establish the Brotherhood after a group of [[Shanghai Rite of the Templar Order|Chinese Templar]] [[eunuch]]s called the [[Eight Tigers]] convinced the [[Zhu Houcong|Jiajing Emperor]] to unknowingly [[Great Rites Controversy|purge]] the [[Assassins]]. Meeting with her [[Mentor]] [[Wang Yangming]] in [[Macau]]'s port, he informed her that the Templars had allied with sailors in the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] [[Portuguese Navy|Navy]] to smuggle dissenters into [[slavery]] in the wider [[Portuguese Empire]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China]]'' – [[The Port]]</ref> | |||
===Golden Age of Piracy=== | |||
During the [[Golden Age of Piracy]], smugglers established many [[Smuggler dens|dens]] in caves across the [[Caribbean]]. The pirate [[Edward Kenway]] infiltrated these dens to steal the contents of their [[treasure chest]]s.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Smuggler's Dens]]</ref> | |||
[[Julien du Casse]] was an arms smuggler who joined the [[West Indies Rite of the Templar Order|Caribbean Templars]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Mister Walpole, I Presume?]]</ref> while the smuggler brothers [[Upton Travers|Upton]] and [[Vance Travers]] were recruited by the [[West Indies Brotherhood of Assassins|West Indies Assassins]] in [[Nassau]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Smuggler Upton]]</ref> The Templar [[Jing Lang]] manipulated Vance to kill his brother, but their plan was foiled when Vance instead hired Edward to assassinate Upton.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Oh Brother...]]</ref> Discovering the truth, the pirate helped Upton eliminate Vance and Jing.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Queen of Pirates, King of Fools]]</ref> | |||
The Dutch smuggler and pirate [[Milo van der Graaff]] operated | [[File:AC4 Petite Caverne.png|thumb|250px|A smuggler den in the Caribbean]] | ||
The Dutch smuggler and pirate [[Milo van der Graaff]] operated throughout the Caribbean, posing as an honest merchant. His illicit activities eventually caught the attention of both the [[Royal Navy]] and the [[Spanish Navy]], so Graff hired Edward Kenway to sink or capture the ships sent after him on several occasions. After being declared a wanted man, Graff decided to retire and leave the West Indies, hiring Edward to protect him during his final voyage.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[The Final Contract]]</ref> | |||
This would not be Edward's last experience with the criminal practice. While visiting Macau in 1725, he witnessed some of the British [[Far East Company]]'s employees engage in [[opium]] smuggling as directed by their leader, [[Alan Jacob]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 16|Episode 16]]</ref> Edward put an end to the operation by raiding one of the company's ships and exposing its drug trafficking to the public.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 17|Episode 17]]</ref> | |||
In 1735, the [[France|French]] scientist [[Louis Godin]] used the [[French Geodesic Mission]] as a front for a smuggling operation.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]] – [[Freedom Cry]]'' – [[Lifting the Veil]]</ref> | In 1735, the [[France|French]] scientist [[Louis Godin]] used the [[French Geodesic Mission]] as a front for a smuggling operation.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]] – [[Freedom Cry]]'' – [[Lifting the Veil]]</ref> | ||
Before the [[Seven Years' War]], smugglers of North [[Atlantic Ocean]] worked with the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood]] through the Assassin [[Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye|Louis-Joseph Gaultier]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy]]</ref> In January 1752, the smuggler crew of the ''[[Morrigan]]'' was captured by | ===Colonial America=== | ||
[[File:Way the Wind Blows 8.png|thumb|250px|left|Shay Cormac freeing a group of smugglers]] | |||
Before the [[Seven Years' War]], smugglers of the North [[Atlantic Ocean]] worked with the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood]] through the Assassin [[Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye|Louis-Joseph Gaultier]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy]]</ref> In January 1752, the smuggler crew of the ''[[Morrigan]]'' was captured by the Royal Navy before they could meet the Assassins at [[Port-Menier]]. They were rescued by [[Shay Cormac]] and [[Liam O'Brien]], who respectively became the captain and the quartermaster of the ship after it joined the Assassins' navy.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[The Way the Wind Blows]]</ref> | |||
The [[American Rite of the Templar Order|Colonial Templars]] also used smuggling to finance their operations in the [[United States|British Colonies]]. The Templar [[Thomas Hickey]] controlled the black market in [[New York City]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Thomas Hickey]]</ref> while the Templar Governor of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon [[Charles Gabriel Sivert]] ran an artifact smuggling operation for Grand Master [[Haytham Kenway]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Database: Charles Gabriel Sivert]]</ref> | The [[American Rite of the Templar Order|Colonial Templars]] also used smuggling to finance their operations in the [[United States|British Colonies]]. The Templar [[Thomas Hickey]] controlled the black market in [[New York City]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Thomas Hickey]]</ref> while the Templar Governor of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, [[Charles Gabriel Sivert]], ran an artifact smuggling operation for Grand Master [[Haytham Kenway]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Database: Charles Gabriel Sivert]]</ref> | ||
In [[New Orleans]], the [[Master Templar]] of the [[Louisiana Rite of the Templar Order| | In [[New Orleans]], the [[Master Templar]] of the [[Louisiana Rite of the Templar Order|Louisiana Rite]], [[Madeleine de L'Isle]], organized a human-smuggling operation, transporting willing slaves and vagrants from colonies across the Gulf of [[Mexico]] to serve as laborers for an archeological site in [[Chichen Itza]]. Her step-daughter [[Aveline de Grandpré]], a [[Louisiana Brotherhood of Assassins|Louisianan Assassin]], investigated the Templar plot but unknowingly helped Madeleine by bringing all the slaves she liberated to her step-mother.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[The Safe House]]</ref> | ||
By 1766, the smugglers [[Élise Lafleur]] and [[Roussillon]] worked in the [[Louisiana Bayou]] recruiting slaves like [[Chrisfait]] to their operation. The former [[Saint-Domingue Brotherhood of Assassins|Haitian Assassin]] [[Baptiste]] worked with the Templars to take control of the Bayou. Impersonating his former Mentor [[François Mackandal]], Baptiste formed a [[Baptiste's Acolytes|cult]] with former slaves to force the smugglers to abandon the Bayou while preparing to [[poison]] the nobles of New Orleans.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Meet the Smugglers]]</ref> The smugglers were helped by | [[File:Meet the Smugglers 4.png|thumb|250px|Aveline de Grandpré meeting Élise Lafleur and Roussillon]] | ||
By 1766, the smugglers [[Élise Lafleur]] and [[Roussillon]] worked in the [[Louisiana Bayou]], recruiting slaves like [[Chrisfait]] to their operation. The former [[Saint-Domingue Brotherhood of Assassins|Haitian Assassin]] [[Baptiste]] worked with the Templars to take control of the Bayou. Impersonating his former Mentor [[François Mackandal]], Baptiste formed a [[Baptiste's Acolytes|cult]] with former slaves to force the smugglers to abandon the Bayou while preparing to [[poison]] the nobles of New Orleans.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Meet the Smugglers]]</ref> The smugglers were helped by Aveline, who killed Baptiste and fought his acolytes across the Bayou.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Eve of Saint John]]</ref> Élise and Roussillon became allies of the Assassin, who later bought [[pocket watch]]es from various smugglers in New Orleans and the Bayou. | |||
In 1768, the smuggler [[Reynaud]] had ties with the [[Spanish Army]], permitting him to operate in the Bayou. He was killed by | In 1768, the smuggler [[Reynaud]] had ties with the [[Spanish Army]], permitting him to operate in the Bayou. He was killed by Aveline, who took control of his legal stores.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[M. Reynaud's Bypass]]</ref> | ||
That same year, Élise helped Aveline to stop the Templar governor [[Antonio de Ulloa]]'s plan to smuggle slaves from Louisiana to Mexico. They liberated a group of prisoners in the Bayou before attacking [[Fort Saint-Jean]], where they freed several slaves.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Storming the Fort]]</ref> After forcing Ulloa to leave Louisiana, Aveline infiltrated Chichen Itza's work site disguised as a slave and killed its overseer, [[Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer]], ending the Templars' slave smuggling operation.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[The Secret of the Cenote]]</ref> | |||
In 1771, the smugglers of the Bayou were threatened by the Templar [[Diego Vázquez]], who bribed Spanish soldiers to take control of the trade routes. As the Templar sent a ship to retake Chichen Itza, the smugglers and | In 1771, the smugglers of the Bayou were threatened by the Templar [[Diego Vázquez]], who bribed Spanish soldiers to take control of the trade routes. As the Templar sent a ship to retake Chichen Itza, the smugglers and Avealine sabotaged the beacon to make the vessel shipwreck. Smugglers took the supplies while the Assassin protected them from Vázquez' soldiers.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Stolen Goods (Liberation)|Stolen Goods]]</ref> | ||
[[File:ACIII-Teaparty 7.png|thumb|250px|left|Ratonhnhaké:ton and Stephane Chapheau dumping smuggled tea during the Boston Tea Party]] | |||
By 1773, Dutch smugglers sold [[tea]] to British colonists due to it being cheaper than British tea. To end this activity, the British Parliament voted the [[Tea Act]], permitting the [[East India Company]] to directly sell the tea from [[India]] to the British colonies, the goods becoming cheaper than smuggled tea.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Tea Act]]</ref> Ironically, the Company's tea was smuggled by the Templar [[William Johnson]] to finance the buying of the Iroquois' lands for the Order. The Colonial Assassin [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]] and the [[Sons of Liberty]] disrupted his smuggling operation by throwing the tea in the [[Boston]] [[Boston Harbor|Harbor]] during the [[Boston Tea Party|Tea Party]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[The Tea Party]]</ref> | By 1773, Dutch smugglers sold [[tea]] to British colonists due to it being cheaper than British tea. To end this activity, the British Parliament voted the [[Tea Act]], permitting the [[East India Company]] to directly sell the tea from [[India]] to the British colonies, the goods becoming cheaper than smuggled tea.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: Tea Act]]</ref> Ironically, the Company's tea was smuggled by the Templar [[William Johnson]] to finance the buying of the Iroquois' lands for the Order. The Colonial Assassin [[Ratonhnhaké:ton]] and the [[Sons of Liberty]] disrupted his smuggling operation by throwing the tea in the [[Boston]] [[Boston Harbor|Harbor]] during the [[Boston Tea Party|Tea Party]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[The Tea Party]]</ref> | ||
During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the French and Spanish Kingdoms established smuggling operations to supply the [[Patriots]] against the [[British Empire]]. The French playwriter and spy [[Pierre Beaumarchais]] set up the fictitious organization | During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the French and Spanish Kingdoms established smuggling operations to supply the [[Patriots]] against the [[British Empire]]. The French playwriter and spy [[Pierre Beaumarchais]] set up the fictitious organization "Roderigue Hortalez and Company" as a cover for arms smuggling for the Patriots.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Database: La Belladonna]]</ref> In 1776, one of its ships, ''[[La Belladonna]]'', went to America to deliver weapons. The [[Continental Navy]] captain [[Nicholas Biddle]] was tasked to escort the ship, but due to his membership in the Colonial Templars, he warned another [[British Templar naval captain|Templar captain]] in the Royal Navy to attack the ship. ''La Belladonna'' was protected by Ratonhnhaké:ton and his ship, the ''[[Aquila]]'', sinking the British aggressors.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[French Involvement]]</ref> | ||
In Louisiana, Governor [[Luis de Unzaga]] used smugglers like Élise Lafleur and Roussillon to secretly supply the Patriots with weapons. Diego Vázquez tried to disrupt the smugglers' operation in the Bayou, but Élise and Roussillon were protected by Aveline de Grandpré and [[George Davidson]],<ref name="Supplying the Revolution">''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[Supplying the Revolution]]</ref> a former slave who was secretly a Templar and a [[Loyalists|Loyalist]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[A Fool's Errand]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[Connor's Way]]</ref> The group delivered the weapons to the Patriot [[Hopton]], who in return allowed George to join the [[Continental Army]].<ref name="Supplying the Revolution"/> Aveline later killed Vázquez to end the Templar threat on the Bayou smugglers.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' – [[The Last Dance]]</ref> | |||
===French Revolution=== | ===French Revolution=== | ||
By 1788, the English smuggler [[Byron Jackson]] transported tea, sugar, and other goods on his ship the ''[[Granny Smith]]'' across the Channel Sea, posing as a Frenchman. In February, he saved the [[Parisian Rite of the Templar Order|French Templar]] [[Élise de la Serre]] and her servant [[Hélène]] from being kidnapped in Saint-Cyr, then transported the two women to [[Dover]].<ref>[[Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' | By 1788, the English smuggler [[Byron Jackson]] transported tea, sugar, and other goods on his ship, the ''[[Granny Smith]]'', across the Channel Sea, posing as a Frenchman. In February, he saved the [[Parisian Rite of the Templar Order|French Templar]] [[Élise de la Serre]] and her servant [[Hélène]] from being kidnapped in Saint-Cyr, then transported the two women to [[Dover]].<ref>[[Assassin's Creed: Unity (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Unity'' novel]]</ref> | ||
During the [[French Revolution]], the Templar Charles Gabriel Sivert and the smuggler [[Arpinon]] extorted nobles and clergymen to fund the more radical members of the French Rite. On 4 January 1791, they | [[File:ACU Graduation 4.png|thumb|250px|Arpinon and Sivert discussing their smuggling operation]] | ||
During the [[French Revolution]], the Templar Charles Gabriel Sivert and the smuggler [[Arpinon]] extorted nobles and clergymen to fund the more radical members of the French Rite. On 4 January 1791, they smuggled goods from [[Guillaume de Roussel]], who was imprisoned in the [[Conciergerie]] in Paris.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Graduation (Unity)|Graduation]]</ref> Arpinon was killed by the [[Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins|French Master Assassin]] [[Pierre Bellec]], and the next day Sivert was killed by Bellec's apprentice [[Arno Dorian]] at [[Notre-Dame]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Confession]]</ref> | |||
With the chaos of the Revolution, Templars and other criminals smuggled artifacts and goods through the palaces and churches of Paris. The Assassins infiltrated their hideouts and stole their treasures.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Smuggler's Paradise]]</ref> | With the chaos of the Revolution, Templars and other criminals smuggled artifacts and goods through the palaces and churches of Paris. The Assassins infiltrated their hideouts and stole their treasures.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Smuggler's Paradise]]</ref> At one point, Arno gave the {{Wiki|Sancy}} [[diamond]] to a smuggler to prevent the criminal [[Renard]] from selling it to finance a coup for ''[[Les Actes des Apôtres]]''.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[The Queen's Necklace]]</ref> | ||
In June 1793, after the fall of the [[Kingdom of France|monarchy]] and the establishment of the [[First French Republic|French Republic]], the Templar [[Maximilien de Robespierre]] began the [[Reign of Terror]] to arrest perceived enemies of the Revolution. His first target were the [[Girondists]], some of whom were smuggled out of the city by the Assassins.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Political Persecution]]</ref> | In June 1793, after the fall of the [[Kingdom of France|monarchy]] and the establishment of the [[First French Republic|French Republic]], the Templar [[Maximilien de Robespierre]] began the [[Reign of Terror]] to arrest perceived enemies of the Revolution. His first target were the [[Girondists]], some of whom were smuggled out of the city by the Assassins.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' – [[Political Persecution]]</ref> | ||
===Industrial London=== | ===Industrial London=== | ||
In 1868, the [[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Templars]] ran smuggling operations in [[London]]. The Templar brothers [[Kent Jekyll|Kent]] and [[Raphael Jekyll]] operated in the city docks while the [[Blighters|Blighter]] criminal [[Sylvia Duke]] was in [[the Strand]]. The Jekylls were killed by the [[British Brotherhood of Assassins|British Assassin]] siblings [[Jacob Frye|Jacob]] and [[Evie Frye]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[The Jekyll Brothers]]</ref> while Duke was later arrested by them.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[Sylvia Duke (memory)|Sylvia Duke]]</ref> | In 1868, the [[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Templars]] ran smuggling operations in [[London]]. The Templar brothers [[Kent Jekyll|Kent]] and [[Raphael Jekyll]] operated in the city docks while the [[Blighters|Blighter]] criminal [[Sylvia Duke]] was based in [[the Strand]]. The Jekylls were killed by the [[British Brotherhood of Assassins|British Assassin]] siblings [[Jacob Frye|Jacob]] and [[Evie Frye]],<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[The Jekyll Brothers]]</ref> while Duke was later arrested by them.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[Sylvia Duke (memory)|Sylvia Duke]]</ref> That same year, [[Duleep Singh]], the last Maharaja of the [[Sikh Empire]], became aware of the East India Company smuggling stolen [[Punjab]]i [[gold]] into London,<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]'' – [[Stealing from the Poor]]</ref> and enlisted Jacob and Evie's help to recover the gold and ship it back to India.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]'' – [[A Golden Path]]</ref><ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]'' – [[A Good Send-Off]]</ref> | ||
During [[World War II]], the smuggler [[Spencer]] tried to use [[Eddie Gorm]]'s docks to move weapons during the conflict. Gorm refused and beat the smuggler.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies]] – [[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies – Volume 1: Die Glocke|Volume 1: Die Glocke]]''</ref> | |||
==Appearances== | ==Appearances== | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]] – [[The Da Vinci Disappearance]]'' {{ | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]] – [[The Da Vinci Disappearance]]'' {{1stm}} | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' {{1st}} | *''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' {{1st}} | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed III: Liberation]]'' | ||
| Line 73: | Line 90: | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China]]'' | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' | ||
**''[[The Last Maharaja]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Heresy]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Origins]]'' | ||
**''[[The Curse of the Pharaohs]]'' | **''[[The Curse of the Pharaohs]]'' | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies]] – [[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies Volume 1: Die Glocke|Volume 1: Die Glocke]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies]] – [[Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies – Volume 1: Die Glocke|Volume 1: Die Glocke]]'' | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Odyssey]]'' | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' | *''[[Assassin's Creed: Valhalla]]'' | ||
**''[[Wrath of the Druids]]'' | **''[[Wrath of the Druids]]'' | ||
**''[[The Siege of Paris]]'' | **''[[The Siege of Paris]]'' | ||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR]]'' {{Mdat}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Shadows]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Jade]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist|2}} | {{Scroll box|content={{Reflist|2}}}} | ||
[[Category:Criminal practices]] | [[Category:Criminal practices]] | ||
Latest revision as of 17:32, 6 May 2026
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.
An individual who engages in smuggling is known as a smuggler. They could work alone or in groups, and sometimes with support from the authorities.
History[edit | edit source]
Classical Antiquity[edit | edit source]
During the Peloponnesian War, the smuggler Iola and her crew tried to transport a bear from Arkadia to Kos for the merchant Sargon. When they shipwrecked on the island of Delos, the bear killed the whole crew except for Iola.[1] Also during this time, the smuggler Okaleia made her name shipping contraband across the Aegean Sea until she sampled a forbidden sweet fruit from among her goods. Obsessed with finding its origins, Okaleia took on the epithet "the Lotus Eater" and abandoned her operation to begin a career as a mercenary.[2]
During the Alexandrine war, smugglers known as the Hungry Great Ones led by "Fat Homer" worked with the cult of the Disciples of the Lioness. The Medjay Bayek of Siwa tracked them down as they attacked villagers along the Nile Delta.[3]
When the city of Sais was ruled by the tyrannical governor Sefetu, Jeska smuggled the villagers to her hometown Mefkat, becoming a target. She worked with Bayek in defending Mefkat against Sefetu's men and saving Pentu, a villager she smuggled.[4]
In Roman Cyrenaica, the Greek Arsenius led a group of smugglers. Working with the scavenger Sminthos, they planned to loot the Black Crow, a smuggler ship. Bayek helped Sminthos to recover the goods. When Arsenius double-crossed Sminthos, Bayek saved the scavenger and killed the smugglers.[5]
In 38 BCE, the city of Thebes was the place of many smuggling activities, especially due to the artifacts and treasure of the Valley of the Kings. Now a Hidden One, Bayek was helped by the smugglers Merti and Sutekh in his quest to find Akhenaten's Apple of Eden and stop the rumored curse from long-dead pharaohs.[6] In the region, Bayek helped the former smuggler Kanika, who vowed to protect Egyptian relics from bandits.[7] He also convinced the young Esiocles to stop being a smuggler and to join the Hidden Ones branch in Rome.[8]
Middle Ages and Renaissance[edit | edit source]
During the late 9th century, the Dane Birna operated as a pirate and smuggler in England before joining the Great Heathen Army.[9] During the Siege of Paris in 885, the Breton smuggler Nolwenn sold goods to the Vikings of the Elgring Clan and the Franks in the city.[10]
During Girolamo Savonarola's brief theocracy over Florence in the late 1490s, expansive goods were deemed illegal and subject to public burnings, though it did little to merchants like Duccio de Luca, who secretly transported merchandise out of the city.[11]
During the papacy of Alexander VI, Grand Master of the Italian Templars, the Templar smuggler Lia de Russo operated in Rome, procuring rare objects for Cesare Borgia, sometimes killing in order to obtain them. She was killed by the Italian Master Assassin Ezio Auditore during the liberation of Rome.[12]
Smuggling was not limited to Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, either. In 1526, during the Ming dynasty period in China, the Chinese Assassin Shao Jun returned to her homeland to re-establish the Brotherhood after a group of Chinese Templar eunuchs called the Eight Tigers convinced the Jiajing Emperor to unknowingly purge the Assassins. Meeting with her Mentor Wang Yangming in Macau's port, he informed her that the Templars had allied with sailors in the Portuguese Navy to smuggle dissenters into slavery in the wider Portuguese Empire.[13]
Golden Age of Piracy[edit | edit source]
During the Golden Age of Piracy, smugglers established many dens in caves across the Caribbean. The pirate Edward Kenway infiltrated these dens to steal the contents of their treasure chests.[14]
Julien du Casse was an arms smuggler who joined the Caribbean Templars,[15] while the smuggler brothers Upton and Vance Travers were recruited by the West Indies Assassins in Nassau.[16] The Templar Jing Lang manipulated Vance to kill his brother, but their plan was foiled when Vance instead hired Edward to assassinate Upton.[17] Discovering the truth, the pirate helped Upton eliminate Vance and Jing.[18]
The Dutch smuggler and pirate Milo van der Graaff operated throughout the Caribbean, posing as an honest merchant. His illicit activities eventually caught the attention of both the Royal Navy and the Spanish Navy, so Graff hired Edward Kenway to sink or capture the ships sent after him on several occasions. After being declared a wanted man, Graff decided to retire and leave the West Indies, hiring Edward to protect him during his final voyage.[19]
This would not be Edward's last experience with the criminal practice. While visiting Macau in 1725, he witnessed some of the British Far East Company's employees engage in opium smuggling as directed by their leader, Alan Jacob.[20] Edward put an end to the operation by raiding one of the company's ships and exposing its drug trafficking to the public.[21]
In 1735, the French scientist Louis Godin used the French Geodesic Mission as a front for a smuggling operation.[22]
Colonial America[edit | edit source]
Before the Seven Years' War, smugglers of the North Atlantic Ocean worked with the Colonial Brotherhood through the Assassin Louis-Joseph Gaultier.[23] In January 1752, the smuggler crew of the Morrigan was captured by the Royal Navy before they could meet the Assassins at Port-Menier. They were rescued by Shay Cormac and Liam O'Brien, who respectively became the captain and the quartermaster of the ship after it joined the Assassins' navy.[24]
The Colonial Templars also used smuggling to finance their operations in the British Colonies. The Templar Thomas Hickey controlled the black market in New York City,[25] while the Templar Governor of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Charles Gabriel Sivert, ran an artifact smuggling operation for Grand Master Haytham Kenway.[26]
In New Orleans, the Master Templar of the Louisiana Rite, Madeleine de L'Isle, organized a human-smuggling operation, transporting willing slaves and vagrants from colonies across the Gulf of Mexico to serve as laborers for an archeological site in Chichen Itza. Her step-daughter Aveline de Grandpré, a Louisianan Assassin, investigated the Templar plot but unknowingly helped Madeleine by bringing all the slaves she liberated to her step-mother.[27]
By 1766, the smugglers Élise Lafleur and Roussillon worked in the Louisiana Bayou, recruiting slaves like Chrisfait to their operation. The former Haitian Assassin Baptiste worked with the Templars to take control of the Bayou. Impersonating his former Mentor François Mackandal, Baptiste formed a cult with former slaves to force the smugglers to abandon the Bayou while preparing to poison the nobles of New Orleans.[28] The smugglers were helped by Aveline, who killed Baptiste and fought his acolytes across the Bayou.[29] Élise and Roussillon became allies of the Assassin, who later bought pocket watches from various smugglers in New Orleans and the Bayou.
In 1768, the smuggler Reynaud had ties with the Spanish Army, permitting him to operate in the Bayou. He was killed by Aveline, who took control of his legal stores.[30]
That same year, Élise helped Aveline to stop the Templar governor Antonio de Ulloa's plan to smuggle slaves from Louisiana to Mexico. They liberated a group of prisoners in the Bayou before attacking Fort Saint-Jean, where they freed several slaves.[31] After forcing Ulloa to leave Louisiana, Aveline infiltrated Chichen Itza's work site disguised as a slave and killed its overseer, Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer, ending the Templars' slave smuggling operation.[32]
In 1771, the smugglers of the Bayou were threatened by the Templar Diego Vázquez, who bribed Spanish soldiers to take control of the trade routes. As the Templar sent a ship to retake Chichen Itza, the smugglers and Avealine sabotaged the beacon to make the vessel shipwreck. Smugglers took the supplies while the Assassin protected them from Vázquez' soldiers.[33]
By 1773, Dutch smugglers sold tea to British colonists due to it being cheaper than British tea. To end this activity, the British Parliament voted the Tea Act, permitting the East India Company to directly sell the tea from India to the British colonies, the goods becoming cheaper than smuggled tea.[34] Ironically, the Company's tea was smuggled by the Templar William Johnson to finance the buying of the Iroquois' lands for the Order. The Colonial Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton and the Sons of Liberty disrupted his smuggling operation by throwing the tea in the Boston Harbor during the Tea Party.[35]
During the American Revolutionary War, the French and Spanish Kingdoms established smuggling operations to supply the Patriots against the British Empire. The French playwriter and spy Pierre Beaumarchais set up the fictitious organization "Roderigue Hortalez and Company" as a cover for arms smuggling for the Patriots.[36] In 1776, one of its ships, La Belladonna, went to America to deliver weapons. The Continental Navy captain Nicholas Biddle was tasked to escort the ship, but due to his membership in the Colonial Templars, he warned another Templar captain in the Royal Navy to attack the ship. La Belladonna was protected by Ratonhnhaké:ton and his ship, the Aquila, sinking the British aggressors.[37]
In Louisiana, Governor Luis de Unzaga used smugglers like Élise Lafleur and Roussillon to secretly supply the Patriots with weapons. Diego Vázquez tried to disrupt the smugglers' operation in the Bayou, but Élise and Roussillon were protected by Aveline de Grandpré and George Davidson,[38] a former slave who was secretly a Templar and a Loyalist.[39][40] The group delivered the weapons to the Patriot Hopton, who in return allowed George to join the Continental Army.[38] Aveline later killed Vázquez to end the Templar threat on the Bayou smugglers.[41]
French Revolution[edit | edit source]
By 1788, the English smuggler Byron Jackson transported tea, sugar, and other goods on his ship, the Granny Smith, across the Channel Sea, posing as a Frenchman. In February, he saved the French Templar Élise de la Serre and her servant Hélène from being kidnapped in Saint-Cyr, then transported the two women to Dover.[42]
During the French Revolution, the Templar Charles Gabriel Sivert and the smuggler Arpinon extorted nobles and clergymen to fund the more radical members of the French Rite. On 4 January 1791, they smuggled goods from Guillaume de Roussel, who was imprisoned in the Conciergerie in Paris.[43] Arpinon was killed by the French Master Assassin Pierre Bellec, and the next day Sivert was killed by Bellec's apprentice Arno Dorian at Notre-Dame.[44]
With the chaos of the Revolution, Templars and other criminals smuggled artifacts and goods through the palaces and churches of Paris. The Assassins infiltrated their hideouts and stole their treasures.[45] At one point, Arno gave the Sancy diamond to a smuggler to prevent the criminal Renard from selling it to finance a coup for Les Actes des Apôtres.[46]
In June 1793, after the fall of the monarchy and the establishment of the French Republic, the Templar Maximilien de Robespierre began the Reign of Terror to arrest perceived enemies of the Revolution. His first target were the Girondists, some of whom were smuggled out of the city by the Assassins.[47]
Industrial London[edit | edit source]
In 1868, the British Templars ran smuggling operations in London. The Templar brothers Kent and Raphael Jekyll operated in the city docks while the Blighter criminal Sylvia Duke was based in the Strand. The Jekylls were killed by the British Assassin siblings Jacob and Evie Frye,[48] while Duke was later arrested by them.[49] That same year, Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, became aware of the East India Company smuggling stolen Punjabi gold into London,[50] and enlisted Jacob and Evie's help to recover the gold and ship it back to India.[51][52]
During World War II, the smuggler Spencer tried to use Eddie Gorm's docks to move weapons during the conflict. Gorm refused and beat the smuggler.[53]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – The Da Vinci Disappearance (first mentioned)
- Assassin's Creed III (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed: Rogue
- Assassin's Creed: Unity
- Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
- Assassin's Creed: Heresy
- Assassin's Creed: Origins
- Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies – Volume 1: Die Glocke
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
- Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows
- Assassin's Creed: Jade (mentioned only)