The illegal trade of goods in Brazil has undergone a profound transformation, no longer being carried out by individual street vendors who smuggled clothes, perfumes and beverages from Paraguay on tourist buses, but rather operating in organized and articulated global networks. The new scenario involves consolidated systems that operate in international logistics chains, expand frontiers and manage illicit economies interlinking businesses between countries, often with presence in institutions.
Articles of clothing, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, fuels and new products such as slimming pens lead the illegal trade, which reaches the annual amount of approximately half a trillion reais. The value represents significant growth compared to previous years.
The National Forum Against Piracy and Illegality calculated losses of R$ 473.2 billion in 15 sectors of the economy in 2025, against only R$ 100 billion recorded a year earlier. This growth was described as a geometric progression, evidencing the speed with which the problem is expanding.
The current challenge for Brazilian and international authorities is no longer to contain individual piracy practices, but rather to combat consolidated criminal structures operating on a global scale and involving the participation of organized crime.
