TARIFF CRIMES REFER broadly to a range of illegal practices associated with the non-payment of one or more of the various taxes that are levied on goods traded across national borders. Specifically, tariffs are taxes usually applied to imports based on a percentage of the value of the product in question. Along with a complex range of other subsidies, duties, and customs (referred to hereafter as trade crimes), they constitute the chief means for national governments to control and benefit from trade.

Crimes against trading laws and regulations may include outright smuggling of goods to evade tariffs and customs, fraudulent reporting of the amount and value of products, and breaches of quota restrictions. Since tariffs are set by national governments in conjunction with other economic regulations, ...