The U.S.–China tariff war has turned illegal transshipment into a geopolitical tool. This Insight combines a recent White House report on the "Great Transshipment Scam" with Strategos BIP's regional risk analysis to explain how Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and other Latin American countries are exposed, and what room governments and companies have to turn that exposure into negotiating leverage.

CIMA report on the main illicit trade trends in Latin America during April 2026, including smuggling, counterfeiting, and criminal networks.

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.