When you hear about contraband in the news, the typical thought concerns illicit drugs or weapons, a drug ring or cartel using proceeds to fund terrorism or the like. But the definition of contraband is far more extensive and includes any items which are illegal to import into a particular country, as well as those used to commit a crime.
3 Classes of contraband
In its simplest form, contraband items are illicit goods referring to items that are imported or exported illegally, most commonly drugs, weapons, counterfeited items like cigarettes, software, music and videos. However some items considered contraband may surprise you, such as wild animal parts including feathers. Some states may allow certain items like fireworks or marijuana, but in states where they are not legal these items would not be covered by a policy.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
