Who could tell why people take the risks smuggling goods or helping migrants cross the border illegally? Ratiborz Arkadiusz Ekiert ascribes it to a vision of profit. "Some may even be born with it," is his classification of the largest law violating group - the smugglers.

The most famous Silesian smuggler died seven years ago. He crossed the border line at a speed that killed him," is the laconic explanation of Wieslaw Zajac, Jaworzynka border crossing station commander. But the end of his era did not mean the end of Polish - Slovak smuggling operations. "Last year we held up merchandise in the value of 1 million 372 thousand new zloty," gives A. Ekiert an account of the alertness at 19 border crossings along 320 km. In addition to 19 border crossing stations and 7 check points there are also 31 frontier zone passages. Last year the borders were crossed by 41 million 374 thousand people and by 2 million people within the frontier zone passage.

A. Ekiert details that a decisive portion of the smuggled goods are cars, foreign exchange, liquor and cigarettes. Cars and foreign exchange smugglers rely on outwitting the customs officers, on risk and their ability to improvise, the liquor and cigarettes smugglers count on their inventiveness. "A German who had conducted business in Silesian, claimed that 100 000 marks he was carrying illegally, were his pocket money," remembers A. Ekiert. He also recalls a case of four trucks loaded with liquor having crossed the state border illegally through mountains: "It remains to be a mystery for me, how on earth could they get over the Beskids".

Illegal border crossing becomes a red hot issue. Last year they stopped 325 people, including 294 who crossed by breach or law, one half of them with a criminal register entry. "The Romanians and Gypsies make the most problems but the largest proportion of law violators are the Poles themselves," gives A. Ekiert more detail. Even 31 large-scale smugglers were caught. "Horses are a frequent article of smuggling, since a price for a horse is 4500 zloty in Poland and 8500 zloty in Slovakia,", he says. "Who takes the risk, can make a good profit."

"You need courage for smuggling, but the frontier zone population is born with it," claims Pawel Polok, 79 years old, living in Jaworzynka. "There were times of smuggling fame, and that is why Jaworinka was richer than other villages in the area. But because there were hardly any jobs here, people would help themselves as they could. The border helped them survive."

Although not admitting it directly, P. Polok is the oldest contemporary of the Silesian Beskids smuggling tradition. He is fond of his childhood smuggling experience. He used to buy Czech tobacco for his uncle, as it had better reputation than Polish tobacco. "I had a good sight and strong feet, and since I was a little boy, the customs officers would not suspect me," he says.

More than smuggler of goods it is the smugglers of people who worry the frontier guards. "Poland will soon become a part of European Union, and that will step up the motivation for illegal migration of people in their attempts to find shelter in our country," says A. Ekiert. "Yet the policy of our Ministry of Interior is aimed toward an increased authority for frontier guards to excercie better control of foreigners and cope with illegal entries to Poland."

A. Ekiert admits another mind-boggling problem: illegal transfer of weapons and environmentally harmful materials. "We anticipate serious difficulties in this respect," is his forcast.

Slovak Trade FORUM