Nearly 14 million illegal products were seized by customs authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean as part of Operation FRONPIAS, a regional initiative promoted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) aimed at protecting society from the circulation of counterfeit, substandard, or dangerous goods for public health and safety.
According to the OMA on Wednesday (09.07.2025), the operation —whose name in Spanish means “Clean Borders"—was developed in January 2025 with the participation of 14 countries region of: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.
🟦International coordination and technical support
For the development of FRONPIAS, the WCO established a virtual Operational Coordination Unit (OCU) at its headquarters in Brussels, composed of experts from the Secretariat and the Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILO)This team facilitated the exchange of information and ensured data quality among participating countries.
🟦Highlighted results
According to the WCO, there were recorded 332 cases in 11 countries, of which:
- 84% were related to violations of the Intellectual Property Rights.
- 14% involved illegal pharmaceutical products.
- A total of 1,000 were seized. NOTE 13.837.275, Being the 89% products of tobacco.
Regarding the origin of the detections:
- 60% were imports.
- The remainder corresponded to domestic cases, exports and transit.
- 65% of the seizures were made thanks to risk profiles designed by customs themselves.
🟦Main countries and products seized
The five countries that reported the highest number of cases were:
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Peru: 110 cases
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Mexico: 54
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Chile: 51
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Argentina: 46
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Brazil: 39
The products most affected by counterfeiting were:
- Accessories and clothing: 71 seizures each
- Footwear: 54 seizures
- By volume, they led the toys and games, with 279.752 units
- In the pharmaceutical sector, metabolic agents led the seizures, with 22 cases recorded
🟦Fun Fact
During the operation, innovative methods of concealment were detected. BrazilFor example, several passengers tried hide counterfeit drugs in your bodyUsing thick black stockings to transport more than 70 doses without being detected.
🟦Capacity building and regional cooperation
FRONPIAS also led to significant institutional progress. The WCO highlighted that the initiative strengthened the regional cooperation between customs. It also strengthened ties with health authorities, intellectual property agencies y rights holders.
Prior to the operation, the OMA offered in-person and virtual training to the National Contact Points (NCP) of each country, focused on the design of risk profiles and the execution of the operational plan.
In addition, a closed user group was enabled (CUG) on the platform CENcomm, which enabled the secure exchange of real-time information, including alerts and trend bulletins. In total, 11 operational bulletins were shared, which proved key to managing IPR-related risks.
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