Smuggling between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will again become a serious problem if Border controls are imposed after the United Kingdom quits the European Union, leading experts have warned. Severe “regulatory divergence” between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland post-Brexit would increase pay-offs for organised crime and smugglers on the island. “It is the golden law of smuggling,” said Prof Neumann. Prof Neumann said that the only way to avoid additional incentives for organised crime, post-Brexit, was to ensure that rules on both sides of the Border do not diverge. Northern Ireland had the most dense and institutionalised connections between crime and terror in Europe, said the London-based expert on terrorism and violent radicalisation.

Source: The Irish Times January 17, 2018 19:30 UTC