Smuggling Under the Cover of Plague: How Crisis Fueled the Black Market
Plagues are often remembered for the terror they unleash—bodies in the streets, cities in lockdown, and widespread death. But beneath the surface of public panic and collapsing economies, another story has repeatedly played out: the rise of smuggling and black-market activity. From medieval Europe’s Black Death to early modern quarantine laws, smugglers exploited disease-ridden chaos…
