Archives des liquor smuggling - FRENCH PROHIBITION https://frenchprohibition.com/en/tag/liquor-smuggling-en/ Quand la France faisait boire l'Amérique Mon, 12 Oct 2026 15:00:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 FROM SAINT-PIERRE TO DEMERARA https://frenchprohibition.com/en/places/rum-running/saint-pierre-demerara-rum-running-route/ Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:13:15 +0000 https://frenchprohibition.com/?p=0 Between 1920 and 1933, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon became a key hub in the Atlantic liquor trade, linking Canadian and European spirits, Caribbean stopovers and the rum-producing region of Demerara in British Guiana.

L’article FROM SAINT-PIERRE TO DEMERARA est apparu en premier sur FRENCH PROHIBITION.

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THE ROUTE

Maritime route map between Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Demerara
Route
  1. Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon Departure
  2. Bermuda Technical stop
  3. Nassau Redistribution
  4. Bridgetown Final stop
  5. Demerara Arrival

01 | DEPARTURE

Saint-Pierre, the French-flagged island

The port of Saint-Pierre became a major hub of the international liquor trade. Taking advantage of French sovereignty and the island’s free-port status, millions of cases of Canadian whisky and European spirits could be stored there legally before being shipped south.

02 | THE CROSSING

Down the Atlantic, past the patrols

Captains sailed off the American coast along Rum Row. To avoid the U.S. Coast Guard, vessels remained strictly in international waters and communicated by light signals or coded Morse messages.

03 | THE STOPOVERS

Relay ports across the Caribbean

Bermuda — Technical stop et ravitaillement.
Nassau — Redistribution toward the Bahamas and the American coast.
Bridgetown, Barbade — Final stop avant Demerara.

04 | TRANSSHIPMENT

Delivery at sea

Away from the main shipping lanes, cargoes were transferred from the larger vessels to schooners, small boats or coastal craft capable of approaching shorelines and estuaries.

These operations required precise coordination among captains, brokers and local crews. Darkness, fog and light signals became the crews’ principal allies.

05 | THE CARGOES

From malt whisky to Demerara rum

While Saint-Pierre mainly shipped whisky and other spirits south, the Demerara route also supported a two-way trade: the celebrated rum of the Demerara region moved north, while North Atlantic liquor travelled south under cover of false shipping papers.

06 | THE RISKS

North Atlantic storms and customs blockades

Customs seizures near territorial waters, breakdowns at sea and dishonest intermediaries made the route from the cold North Atlantic to the equatorial heat a hazardous one.

Intercepted signal

Maritime telegram

— .- .-. .. -. . … / . -. / … ..- .-. …- . .. .-.. .- -. -.-. .

Possible translation

« Patrol sighted off Demerara. Divert the cargo. »

Intercepted by British customs authorities

07 | ARRIVAL

Demerara, a tropical trading post

Once the vessels reached the mouth of the Demerara River, cargoes were unloaded at night onto small boats and coastal craft serving clandestine networks, drinking establishments and trading posts in South America.

Stopovers and connections

Ports and cities along the route

Cinq ports jalonnent cette route, des brumes de Saint-Pierre aux eaux tropicales de Demerara.

The port of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon in the 1920s
01
Saint-Pierre Departure point On the route
Hamilton et le port des Bermuda dans les années 1920
02
Bermuda Technical stop On the route
The port of Nassau in the Bahamas in the 1920s
03
Nassau Redistribution On the route
The port of Bridgetown, Barbados, in the 1920s
04
Bridgetown Final stop On the route
The port of Demerara in the 1920s
05
Demerara Final destination On the route

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How did Saint-Pierre become a capital of liquor smuggling?

Its status as French territory and its strategic proximity to Canada and the United States made it an ideal hub for the liquor trade.

What role did Demerara play in the liquor trade?

Demerara was both a strategic South American trading point and a renowned source of high-proof rum.

What flags did vessels on this route sail under?

They mainly sailed under French, British or Panamanian flags, which complicated enforcement and seizure at sea.

L’article FROM SAINT-PIERRE TO DEMERARA est apparu en premier sur FRENCH PROHIBITION.

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