The illegal trade in bearings does not always operate outside customs: in many cases it passes right through with proper documentation and real brands on the record. This CIMA Insight examines how global supply chains become vectors of counterfeiting, why conventional physical controls fall short of detecting it and how foreign trade data analysis can identify the warning signs that reveal these operations.

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.

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.