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.