Unmanifested cargo

Unmanifested cargo, or smuggling, can include the unlawful introduction of drugs, weapons, or humans into a shipment. Unmanifested cargo threatens the smooth flow of goods and exposes companies to legal, financial, and reputation risks. Common methods used to smuggle illegal goods include fake seals on shipping containers to disguise tampering, hacking into logistics and port computer systems, planting criminals as employees within manufacturing and logistics companies, and offloading legal goods in transit and replacing them with the same weight of illegal goods. Criminals are continuously evolving and becoming more creative in using legal shipments to smuggle their illegal cargo.

Companies that are sourcing goods from high risk countries and taking a cookie-cutter approach to supply chain security – addressing risk the same way across all countries – face significant threats from cargo criminals, which may lead to operational shutdown. However, companies can prevent business disruptions and protect their reputation by understanding unmanifested cargo risks and developing a risk based supply chain security program.