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A US White House report identified more than 40 jurisdictions, including the EU, Canada, Japan, and Brazil, as associated with a higher risk for illegal transshipments.
This report identifies more than 40 countries associated with elevated illegal transshipment risk. These jurisdictions vary significantly in economic scale and function. Some are major trading partners with diversified industrial bases and large volumes of overall commerce. Others are closely integrated into China-linked production and supply networks. A third group consists of smaller jurisdictions that offer specific advantages, including low labor costs, permissive free-zone rules, strategic port access, bonded warehousing, limited customs capacity, niche assembly operations, or preferential access to the U.S. market.
Chilean authorities seized 1,080.8 tonnes of timber chemically impregnated with cocaine, ketamine, and other narcotic substances, making it the country’s largest drug seizure to date. The investigation found that the wood itself had been infused with drugs, allowing traffickers to conceal narcotics within a legitimate timber shipment rather than simply hiding them inside containers. The contaminated timber originated in Bolivia and was intercepted at the Chilean ports of Arica, Valparaíso, and San Antonio following a six-month investigation. Authorities estimate the shipment contained approximately 108 tonnes of narcotics, with an estimated European street value exceeding US$8.3 billion. The intended destinations included Germany, Belgium, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Mauritius, New Zealand, and the Dominican Republic. The case demonstrates how legitimate timber supply chains can be exploited by sophisticated transnational criminal networks using advanced chemical concealment techniques. It also highlights the need for stronger customs intelligence, supply chain due diligence, and international cooperation to identify high-risk timber shipments used for trafficking illicit goods.
Also covered in English here: Drugs Hidden in Timber Behind Chile’s Record Seizure | Wood Central
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Click here to access the Global Illegal Logging and Associated Trade (ILAT) Risk assessment tool and to download the Forest Trends User Guide describing the functionality of the ILAT Risk Data Tool.
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