E-cigarette Smuggling in Brazil: Over 200 million Seized Nationwide
According to Opovo, the Brazilian Federal Police (Polícia Federal) confiscated a total of 3,922 e-cigarettes in the state of Ceará from 2021 to November 2023. On the other hand, the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (A Receita Federal) seized 14,000 e-cigarettes in the same state between 2020 and May 2023, with an estimated value of approximately 1,181,136.80 Brazilian Real. Despite the lack of legal sales authorization for e-cigarettes, as well as their accessories and e-liquids, in Brazil, over two million e-cigarettes have been seized nationwide during this period.
According to data from the Brazilian Federal Police, the state of Ceará is the area in northeastern Brazil where the highest number of e-cigarettes have been seized. A total of 501,585 e-cigarettes were seized nationwide, with nearly half of them confiscated in the southern state of Mato Grosso do Sul (233,757 in total). Mato Grosso do Sul is a border state in Brazil, bordering Paraguay and Bolivia, and is considered an important corridor for smuggling activities.
The number of individuals detained by federal police for alleged involvement in e-cigarette smuggling activities has been increasing year by year, rising from 8 people in 2019 to 313 people in 2023. Over the past five years, a total of 547 individuals have been detained as a result.
Industry giants manufacturing e-cigarettes have been intentionally spreading a series of false rumors to mislead consumers and mistakenly downplay the health risks associated with e-cigarettes. They emphasize that, despite e-cigarettes appearing to be safer than traditional cigarettes, they actually contain a significant amount of carcinogens.
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