The Outlaw Economy

San Andresitos workers fill Simon Bolivar plaza in protest against an anti-contraband law.

They're scattered across Bogotá, with names like San Victorino and San Andresitos - the latter named

Protesters wearing shirts charging that the anti-contraband
law would mean monopolies and destroy small businesses. 

after Colombia's Caribbean island of San Andres, which are notorious for smuggling. These stores' cheap imported goods carry a reputation for being contraband and often serving for laundering drug money.

At least, that's what many authorities believe. And perhaps the best evidence that they're right came the other day when thousands of owners and employees of the San Andresitos filled San Victorino and Simon Bolivar plazas with a deafening protest against a law raising penalties and jail terms for buying and selling contraband goods.

Colombia's huge contraband industry might seem innocent enough: It provides cheap imported running shoes, electronics and refrigerators, not to mention all of the gasoline consumed in regions near the Venezuelan border. It also employs many thousands of Colombians.

San Andresitos stores on Calle 13 in Bogota.

However, cheap smuggled goods don't pay taxes, depriving the state of money for schools, roads and police and hurt domestic manufacturing. This is felt particularly in provincial health programs, which are financed by duties and taxes on cigarettes and whiskey - two heavily smuggled items. The cheap, smuggled, untaxed products are also particularly cheap, placing them within the reach of children.

However, contraband's worst impact might be its role in money laundering. Drug cartels find it difficult bringing their illegal millions in profits back into Colombia thru the banking system. So, they convert them into legal goods, which may be either legally imported or smuggled in thru places like the La Guajira peninsula and marketed in the San Andresitos.

For years during the late 1990s and early 2000s, cigarette makers Philip Morris and British

Cigarettes, many of them smuggled, for sale
next to candy in La Candelaria.
Many of the boxes carry warnings in
English instead of he required
Colombian ones.

American Tobacco facilitated cigarette smuggling into Colombian, flooding the country with cheap smokes and helping terrorist groups launder drug money, according to investigators and Colombian government officials.

The San Andresito businesses skirt around the fact that so many of their products lack documentation. But, if those products aren't illegal, why are the San Andresito people so up in arms against it?

That cheap camera, pair of jeans or MP3 player may not be so innocent.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

San Victorino Gets the Xmas Spirit

Want some stylish shorts?

You know it's Christmas season when you can't walk across Plaza San Victorino.

The plaza is the center of Bogotá's budget, often pirated, clothing retailers. As Christmas approaches, the plaza fills up with informal sellers, to the chagrin of nearby stores, which pay rent and taxes. In past years, police have tried to clear the sellers away, sometimes causing riots. This year, authorities appear willing to let them stay, just as long as they leave space for pedestrians.

According to El Tiempo, some vendors are sleeping on the plaza in order to not lose their vending spots. And perhaps also to save on rent.

Need a pair  of shorts, a football jersey or a swimming pool to finish off that Christmas shopping list? Hurry on down!

Counterfeit football jerseys are always in style.

Socks for sale.

Want a ´poncho?

After dark, the scene's still hectic.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

No Cyber Monday in San Victorino

San Victorino, Bogotá's bustling central shopping district, was packed this afternoon. Cyber Monday, apparently, hasn't caught on yet here.

Vendors sell Christmas trinkets and clothes in front of a building that burned down several years ago.

Suddenly, the police arrived. All these street vendors are selling illegaly.

 Time to drage it all away.

Rolling away...

A lone brave vendor is left. But they'll be back.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Stuff for Sale Around San Victorino Plaza

A water pistol and a swimming pool.

Inflatable plastic hammers. 

Bags and more bags to carry other stuff in. 

Men's underwear. 

Shirts from these human clotheshangers. 

Corn to feed the pigeons, as well as an odd camelid like Lorenzo. 

Swimming pools. 

Fishing poles.

 

Board games. 

Mirrors, mirror on my back.

Rat poison, hopefully not for the neighbors or in-laws. 

More mobile shirt hangers. 

Colorful shoes.

Buy my Sesame Street dolls. 

Christmas carpets make nice coats. 

And Christmas decorations. 

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Saving San Victorino From the Modernizing Steam Roller

The San Victorino Market area

The San Victorino market area and plaza might be the most colorful and quintessentially Colombia place in Bogotá. Unsurprisingly, the city has a plan to 'modernize' and, likely, destroy the area's charm and uniqueness by turning into a wholesale distribution area. Perhaps fortunately, the plan has stalled, according to El Tiempo. And, the area's current resident small businesses have joined forces and persuaded the city to promise to save them from this rush to modernity.

The plan for the new San Victorino - clean and orderly. 

Certainly, it's good to develop central Bogotá. But there must be a way to do it without driving out the existing small businesses, which provide thousands of jobs, and without destroying its uniqueness and turning it into a charmless, pre-fab district which could be anywhere. And, don't forget the many people who shop in San Victorino - altho city planners probably imagine they'd be happier in a Wal-Mart.

In any case, is the middle of downtown really the place for a wholesale distribution facility, with all of its trucks and heavy cargo? The area is already very congested and polluted. Can it handle more heavy traffic? Would distribution companies even want to locate here, amidst traffic jams, rather than on the edge of town?

How about building a middle class apartment building on the open lot, perhaps including a movie theatre? The area has disadvantages - it's just a few blocks from El Bronx - but also lots of advantages: three nearby Transmilenio lines, a park next door, convenient shopping, and you're just a few blocks away from the capital and historical center. What downtown needs to give it more life at night and make its streets safer is more activity and life on the streets after dark. This would help do it.

The area behind the wall to the left is slated to be used as a wholesale distribution center.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours