Smuggling has become a serious problem in Tunisia.  It is almost impossible to monitor Sahel, its surfae, the desert terrain, and the need for several countries to corrdinate.

Rising prices and the hgih cost of living drive Tunisians to buy smuggled televisions, food products, cigaretes and even gas.  The losses to the state are about $650 mllion, and to customs about $270 million.  The turnver of parallel trade is baout $970 million, or half the trade with Libya.

On the border, “knatreya” or smuggling lords live in palaces as they fiercely control their trade.  Stakeholders know what is going on, and express a willingness to control this traffic and yet nothing happens.  Why does no one act?  The equivalent of the entire Health Department’s annual budget is on the line.