Just as the international logistics crisis and the complexities of importing, especially from China, has affected entrepreneurs and their productive and commercial dynamics, this situation has also ‘check’ to smuggling, for the benefit of domestic producers.
(See: In 5 years, Colombia has lost $2.4 billion due to illegal cigarettes).
And although there are no consolidated figures in this regard, several actors in the business activity register it as such.
The issue has been tracked for a few months. Within the framework of the 6th Meeting of the Latin American Anti-Smuggling Alliance (ALAC), In September, the president of Andi, Bruce Mac Master, indicated that the pandemic has seen a reconfiguration of supply in the world. Given the situation, his call went to governments and businessmen to study new ways to combat the scourge.
In the footwear sector it has been evident. Those who engage in these illicit activities are not willing to pay more than US$40,000 for a container from China, when before it was between 3,000 and 5,000. Added to this is the difficulty of finding ships that move illegal merchandise, says Jorge Andrés Zuluaga, president of the board of Acicam, a leather and footwear union. “There is a very good space for us as producers”, he adds.
(See: They denounce the evasion of US$100 million on the Venezuela-Colombia border).
For the union, in the face of the pandemic and the container crisis, together with the decrease in declared imports, illegal operations also decreased. In 2019, 9.8 million pairs of contraband footwear entered Colombia and by 2020 it is estimated 7.3 million pairs, a decrease of 25%.
In any case, the union highlights the actions of the Dian and the Customs Tax Police.
In the case of clothing, Camilo Rodríguez, from the Colombian Chamber of Apparel, points out that under normal conditions, local production can have about 28% of the national market and last year it could have been 35%.
The local production of clothing had 35% in 2021.
He points out that the container crisis and the very lack of raw material for production have effectively translated into a decrease in both imports and smuggling, while emphasizing the sector’s call for this illicit activity not to be seen as one more scourge.
In this regard, Eduardo Visbal Vice President of Foreign Trade of Fenalco “there are no figures on the performance of smuggling in the pandemic, it is assumed that it will be affected by the global logistical conditions of all trade”.
(See: The products that have been smuggled the most during 2021).
Another sector in which less contraband is reported is cigarettes. The study ‘Incidence of illegal cigarette consumption in Colombia 2021’, carried out by Invamer for the National Federation of Departments, showed that last year the consumption of illegal cigarettes was 33%, one percentage point less than that registered in 2020, with 34 %. The analysis attributes the reduction to work between the regions and the authorities.
IN THE DIA
Luis Carlos Quevedo, director of control of the Dian explains that from that entity the phenomenon of less action by smugglers. He says that from the Economic Studies area the situation has been verified not only tied to the container crisis but also to other actions. “In the last report there is -by 2020- both a reduction in open smuggling and in technical smuggling was noted”, he indicates.
According to the official, the worldwide transportation crisis that limits, in general, the activity of foreign trade and, for this purpose, the actions of criminals It is accompanied by control actions, identification of organizations and a very articulated work of the Dian.
He suggests that it is possible that these gangs seek other ways to commit crimes.
“We have seen that they begin to mutate, to move in another way, towards other ports. The criminal phenomenon is dynamic and they are also looking for ways to reinvent themselves”, says Quevedo.
(See: The most smuggled products during the pandemic).
Likewise, he warns that the authorities focus on where they identify these new scenarios in which criminals move.
As for the sectors, there is a standard behavior and he cites textiles, clothing and footwear that are part of the ‘top’ when the control is done. However, the bands act guided by the legal commercial dynamics and the products with the most rotation.
Last year, the Customs Enforcement Subdirectorate recorded seizures valued at almost $442.9 billion, 39% more than in 2020.
The amount is represented in 45,630 apprehensions, 22.9% more than the immediately previous year. (See attached graph).
OPERATIONS DO NOT STOP
Despite the lower activity of the smugglers, the operations persist.
For example, according to the Dian, thanks to the communication between the Customs Sectional Directorates of Bogotá, Bogotá El Dorado Airport and the Polfa Operative Group, so far in 2022 there have been 20 apprehension procedures at the exits of the Cargo Terminal with an appraisal close to $120 million. These goods are clothing, footwear and technology, for which compliance with customs regulations was not demonstrated.
The authorities carry out checkpoints on the exit routes of the El Dorado International Airport.
BRIEFCASE
