Pirate booty & smuggler cargo in SW

[lurker]

Ok this may be an odd question … I’ve been able to listen to some good history lectures on my drive home from my new job. Currently, I’m listening to one about ‘The Americas before America’. With that, I just got to the lecture about mercantilism, piracy / privateers, and smugglers.

That got me thinking, as pirates and smugglers are key to the SW universe, what is the items that pirates pirate and smugglers smuggle?

From history, reality, pirates only exist when there are weak governments or areas with low law enforcement, along with high value commodities (considering gold a commodity in this case)

Smuggling can exist where there is stronger government/law enforcement – almost requires a strong government that enforces import taxes proscribes specific items etc etc – and can focus on moderately valuable items – compared to the focus of pirates.

So looking at history
Pirates – Gold, gems, treasure fleet stuff, high value spices, slaves (it surprised me here that pirates would attack slave ships, take them and then go sell the slaves – considering that some of the pirates themselves could have been escaped slaves themselves)
They would exist in … the outer rim through the expanse and probably raid into the inner rim

Smugglers – brandy/rum/wine etc etc etc – example, French brandy into England during any of the wars, or even when there isn’t a war, but they are trying to avoid tax stamps; sugar, wood – either just harvested or made into a sellable item, rice, cotton etc etc etc
They would exist in …. The colonies through expanse or mid rim and travel even into the outer rim (or hut space etc) and into the core

With all of that, I can’t picture what would really be pirated or smuggled in SW. Well, military grade items, contraband, drugs, are a given. However, what else would be realistic for them ???
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"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

[cheshire]

In terms of smuggling there are all kinds of possibilities. Spice in Star Wars is still illegal, and highly valuable. Also there are trade tariffs in the Empire, and I can imagine people wanting to pay a smuggler above high tariff items. Thirdly, the Empire might restrict goods to a world or even a segment of the population with unpopular sympathies. Even food or medical supplies might be items that would warrant hiring a smuggler.

Think of it this way, the U.S. has a strong government, but we still bust people at the border trying to smuggle in cheap prescription drugs from Canada. If anyone can get something cheaper by paying a smuggler, then smuggling will find a way to take root.
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Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.

[taedae]

[garhkal]

Heck, imagine if someone started smuggling water to Tatoine!
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[lurker]