Following US tariffs on Chinese steel in 2018, the surplus was redirected to markets like Colombia via triangulation through third countries. Mirror statistics analysis (UN Comtrade 2015-2024) reveals an average negative gap of -US$929 million annually, proving that Chinese steel arrives re-routed or under-invoiced. The text warns that if this occurs in a protected sector, industries lacking trade defense instruments face an imminent risk of displacement.

Health alerts issued in Colombia and Mexico reveal how contamination, counterfeiting, smuggling, and illicit trade are converging in the infant formula market. This analysis examines the implications for public health, supply chain security, corporate reputation, and regulatory compliance, highlighting the growing risks facing the infant nutrition industry across Latin America.

Are tariffs enough to protect domestic industries? This CIMA Insight examines Colombia's ceramic sector and explores how technical smuggling, unfair competition, and global supply chain dynamics can undermine trade protection measures. Drawing on cases from Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, the report highlights key challenges for competitiveness and economic security across Latin America.

Perfumes and cosmetics are currently the most counterfeited products worldwide. Beyond the financial losses for brands, these products pose a public health risk, as they are often manufactured without quality controls and may contain heavy metals, bacteria, or carcinogenic substances. The phenomenon creates significant challenges for consumers, businesses, and institutions responsible for market regulation and oversight.

The illegal auto parts market in Colombia has become a major threat to the automotive industry, driven by smuggling, counterfeiting, and gray-market distribution channels. With losses exceeding USD 1.2 billion and a growing volume of counterfeit components circulating through both physical and digital marketplaces, the phenomenon creates significant economic, legal, and road safety risks for importers, distributors, workshops, and consumers.

Analysis of Colombia’s Customs Sanctions Regime bill, its relevance in addressing smuggling as a structural phenomenon, and its impact on fair competition, legal certainty, and the modernisation of foreign trade.

What began as a 30% "security tax" on Colombian products escalated to 100% in just two months, collapsing formal trade on the Colombia-Ecuador border while smuggling surged by up to 70%. An analysis of the paradox: measures designed to combat organized crime that end up strengthening it.

Smuggling is not a border problem: it is a systemic phenomenon that erodes public finances, funds organized crime, and distorts markets throughout the national territory. This analysis examines three cases in Latin America and presents comprehensive response strategies.

Amid Colombia’s electoral landscape, the fight against illegal trade is emerging as one of the structural challenges for the next government. This phenomenon affects public finances, distorts economic competition, and strengthens criminal networks that use mechanisms such as technical smuggling and money laundering to insert themselves into formal trade.

This article analyzes critical failures in due diligence processes that allow illegal trade to infiltrate supply chains in Latin America. Based on OECD technical reports, it explores how a lack of traceability and reliance on unverified intermediaries expose companies to legal, financial, and reputational risks in 2026.

A strategic analysis of how grey markets and the trade of unauthorized products in Latin America erode brand value, distort pricing, and fund organized crime. The article introduces Strategos BIP's "Triangles Strategy" as a comprehensive public-private coordination solution.