They call themselves “shootis”, posting hundreds of Instagram videos of tuned-up engines, zooming past police checkpoints at 200 kmh, and crashing at high speed.
They are just one of the types of smugglers who keep Iran’s economy going. With an estimated 36.5% of the country’s economy in what’s called the “informal” sector, a large proportion of the consumer products Iranians buy has been smuggled into the country. This includes not just goods the Islamic Republic has banned such as alcohol, but also electronic goods, household appliances, cigarettes, car parts, clothing and body-building supplements.
