Illicit tobacco trade in Ecuador: November 2022–March 2023 report
Updated: 3 days ago
According to the CIMA report, illegal cigarette imports cost Ecuador US$270 million in lost revenue in 2022, an amount similar to that recorded in 2021.
We present our news events report on illicit trade in Ecuador (tobacco products, November 2022 to March 2023), prepared by the Centre for Research, Monitoring and Analysis of Illicit Trade (CIMA).
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Key findings from the infographic
Between November 2022 and March 2023, CIMA recorded 12 operational events across nine provinces. Smuggling was the main issue. Authorities seized 11,953,248 cigarettes, with an estimated value of US$2,021,700, and detained seven people. Quantity and estimated value were available for eight events, while detention figures were available for one; figures for the remaining events were not reported.
The main institutions involved were the National Police and Ecuador’s National Customs Service (SENAE). The map highlights Carchi with five events, Tulcán with two and Guayas with one.
Invamer’s 2022 study of the cigarette market estimated an illicit share of 79% and a legal share of 21%.
An investigation located a home being used as a storage site, where authorities found around 770,000 illegal cigarettes, valued at US$200,000, and arrested seven people.
The report states that Ecuador lost US$270 million in revenue from illegal cigarette imports in 2022, similar to the amount lost in 2021. It ranks Ecuador second for illicit cigarette market share at 79%, and third for illegal alcohol market share at 27%.
From January to October 2021, SENAE seized illegal cigarettes valued at US$17.4 million, making cigarettes the most frequently confiscated product in that period.
The original Spanish infographic is reproduced below; its findings are provided above in English.
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