Migrant Smuggling Data and Research

(h) Corrupt public officials may positively facilitate smuggling or turn a blind
eye to it in exchange for a bribe payment.
Research conducted by the author in Libya in 2013 revealed that there
are generally two types of smugglers along the migratory routes in the region:
(a) smugglers who facilitate the journey itself (referred to as the muhareb in
Arabic); and (b) smugglers who act as intermediaries and create the market for
migrants (referred to as the samsar in Arabic). Usually, the samsar will take the
migrants to a holding location, and once there are enough of them, a muhareb
will be invited to come and offer his services to the migrants. The migrants
will pay the muhareb for the journey, and the muhareb will give a proportion
of the payment to the samsar (Malakooti, 2013a). These general features are
presented in Figure 4.1.
Figure 4.1: Smuggling dynamics in Libya
Source/Note: Reproduction of a diagram initially designed by the author for inclusion in Altai’s
study on mixed migration to Libya (Malakooti, 2013a).
Migrant Smuggling Data and Research:
A global review of the emerging evidence base
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