To curb smuggling driven by the exchange difference in favor of Uruguayans, which complicates the situation of businesses and unemployment indicators on the coast, the National Customs Directorate (DNA)carries out control operations at the border crossings with Argentina, where today they seized around $6,000 worth of merchandise.
In the last few hours, the director of Customs Jaime Borgianithe manager of the Customs Operational Management Area, Luis Gonzalezand their work teams walked the steps of paysandu and Fray Bentos to adjust control measures.
In the ACI of San Martin International Bridge from Fray Bentos, Customs officials seized various types of merchandise. Between them, groceries, personal hygiene items, Cleaning products and home’s products.
The prices of the vast majority of products are cheaper on the Argentine side. According to a study by the University of Salto, the gap in the hygiene basket remains high, reaching a 212%, with products that become 329% cheaper crossing the Uruguay River. But those who travel to the neighboring country take the opportunity to buy all kinds of goods.
Among the seized merchandise, Customs highlighted a 85-inch QLED TV with a market value of about $3,500 which, added to the rest of the 15 seized products, total about 6,000 dollars. They all belonged to Uruguayan citizens without being tourists or without having the quality of border citizens and Argentine citizens who entered the country.
So far this year, Customs seized 300 different types of products, including eight vehicles, for a total of $480,000.
Smuggling from Argentina collapses sales on the coast
According to a recent study by the Chamber of Industries of Uruguay (CIU), sales on the coast decreased by 36% of the companies consulted regarding the average behavior of total sales in pesos in 2022. However, for 16% they remained stable and for 42% they grew. Compared to a specific analysis of sales to Argentina, the percentage of negative responses was 33%.
The relevant impact for the union was, meanwhile, in terms of the smuggling. The CIU posed a question: in the event that companies had reduced their total sales, how much could smuggling have had an impact on that behavior. In this sense, 31% responded that this illegal activity had an impact on the drop in activity.
Another query referred to the perception of an increase in smuggling so far in 2023, and the 35% considered that it grew.
In the opinion of industrial companies, the main source of smuggling is for reasons of proximity (53%), particularly in cities located in border areas, 37% answered that the entry channel for smuggled products was through criminal organizations and 3% answered that the reason was tourism.
Source: Ambito
