Baltic Sea Alcohol Smuggling: The Rise of Illegal Trade in the Interwar Period

The eyes of even the most hardened border guards widened when in the fall of 1925 a German ship that had been raised from the ground was pulled into Liepāja’s port. More than 104,000 liters of contraband alcohol were found in its cargo. Almost 11,000 black tin cans. A few days earlier, a similar but smaller cargo was seized from another ship, but its five-man crew did not really understand what was happening. The men had fallen into sin and drunk too much of their own “goods”. Both ships were anchored at the Customs quay immediately behind Riga Castle, where a couple of other confiscated alcohol smuggling vessels were already located. In the interwar period The Baltic Sea or the Baltic Sea had become real Sea Spirit.

“I saw in the sea(s)… cans of alcohol floating…” that is what Liepājas and other people living on the sea coast could chant after storms without exaggeration. The strong waves had often destroyed the specially installed hideouts of smuggled alcohol at the bottom of the sea. The bagged cans floated on the water and were later dumped on the beach sand. Then it happened that after the storm, the locals went to collect not amber, but gradus…

Alcohol smuggling in the Baltic Sea between the two world wars involved many countries. Alcohol flowed from Germany, the Free City of Danzig (modern Gdańsk, Poland), from Lithuania and Denmark, as well as from the Netherlands, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. It was bought in large quantities by Latvia, Estonia and Finland, as well as Norway. There were various reasons for the rise of smuggling: the economic crisis after the First World War, the policy of alcohol production and sale, etc. In Latvia, alcohol smuggling was also facilitated by the prices of alcohol and vodka – they were much higher than in neighboring countries.

The cornerstone of the impressive alcohol trail in the Baltic Sea and the circulation of illegal alcohol was laid by the prohibition or “Dry Law” adopted in Finland in 1919, this step was also chosen by Norway (partially from 1916). The circulation of alcoholic beverages was also significantly restricted in Latvia and Estonia. In August 1920, the “Law on the Production, Taxation and Sale of Alcohol-Containing Substances” came into force in Latvia, and in March 1925, the much stricter “Law on Combating Drunkenness”.

2023-12-21 22:01:00
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