Brazilian ports have been experiencing significant levels of drug smuggling, particularly cocaine, as evidenced by numerous seizures in 2024 across various terminals, including Santos, Itajaí and Rio de Janeiro.
Traffickers employ a variety of concealment methods within vessels, including hidden compartments, containers, and even the ship’s structure itself. Criminal organizations are nothing if not innovative in finding new ways to get drugs from source to market. They have used increasingly sophisticated techniques and have expanded to riverine routes.
Santos Port was said in the report to remain a key hub. It was the main port location for drug seizures in 2024, both in terms of the number of incidents and the total volume of cocaine intercepted (nearly six tons).
The largest single seizure at Santos in 2024 consisted of 1,201 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a shipment of scrap metal destined for the Port of Malaga, Spain. Other concealment methods via Santos included mixing cocaine with sugar, orange juice barrels, paper, refrigerated juice, soy bran, coffee, frozen açai, and mortar.
The destinations for cocaine seized at Santos were numerous. They included Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Sines and Valencia in Europe, Cape Town and Sierra Leone in Africa and even Sydney and Miami.
The Port of Itajaí, Navegantes, Itapoá and Imbituba (Santa Catarina) recorded 1.656 tonnes of cocaine seized in 2024, primarily in containers with various cargoes like chemical products, frozen chicken, and pork meat, destined for Europe and China.
The Port of Paranaguá (Paraná) accounted for 2.301 tonnes of cocaine seized in 2024, with numerous incidents involving refrigerated containers carrying frozen meat, as well as other methods like vessel-seachests and concealed in bags inside containers. Las Palmas, Rotterdam, and ports in Italy, Spain and France were frequent destinations.
The Port of Rio de Janeiro saw seizures totalling 2.669 tonnes in 2024, including a significant 2-tonne cocaine seizure hidden in the ballast tank of an Italian-flagged merchant ship. Coffee, sea salt, and mortar were listed as associated cargoes in other seizures. Destinations included Belgium and Sierra Leone.
The Port of Salvador (Bahia) recorded 3.469 tonnes of cocaine seizures in 2024, with cocaine found on fishing boats, in the false bottom of a terminal, and within cotton and iron ore shipments. Destinations included Algeria and Belgium.
The Port of Belém (Pará) recorded 3.778 tonnes seized in 2024, with significant quantities found on fishing boats.
The Port of Manaus (Amazonas) reported 4.981.5 tonnes seized in 2024, with a high number of incidents involving boats, armoured vessels, and passenger boats. This port highlighted the emerging trend of riverine drug trafficking. The report noted an increasing concern over drug trafficking through the Amazon’s river system, originating from areas bordering Peru and Colombia. “Regarding cocaine trafficking, criminal organizations mainly travel along the Amazon/Solimões river, sailing from Peru, entering Brazil through Tabatinga, and passing through several municipalities in the state of Amazonas and Pará with different destinations and forms of trafficking.”
Brazil P&I noted that criminal organizations exploited vulnerabilities in surveillance and security protocols, and that the vastness and complexity of the port areas made detection difficult.