Brazil destroys 3,200 tons of contraband

In the 14th Nationwide Action for Destruction, held as part of Brazil's National Day for the Fight Against Piracy, over 3,200 tons of contraband were seized by the Secretariat of the Federal Revenue and are being destroyed in 82 of its branches all across the country during the first week of December.

Among the products destroyed are smuggled objects, counterfeit CDs and DVDs, cigarettes, beverages, cosmetics, inedible food, and goods that do not comply with sanitation or agricultural regulations.

Federal Revenue Secretary Carlos Alberto Barreto noted that, apart from the economic losses faced by the country's productive and tax sectors, buyers may have to deal with the consequences of owning a product that has not been certified by the appropriate control agency: “citizens are using a product that may cause a health problem.” According to him, the objects destroyed are recycled, and those that are fit for use and not the product of piracy are either given away to charity or auctioned. The money raised with the auctions goes to the Secretariat.

Last year, the same move destroyed 3,139 tons of products illegally imported. “There are criminal organizations behind the process, with a solid financial foundation, and the [Secretariat of the] Federal Revenue has geared up in an attempt to spot the illegal traffic and seize the products,” said Barreto.

Fines related to the goods seized may reach $120 million.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira