Trafficking of illicit goods by small parcels is growing in significant volumes and is increasingly becoming a complex problem for national governments, law enforcement and brand owners. Criminals exploit both national postal networks as well as express carriers to transport all kinds of illicit goods through these channels. In the recent years, this problem has escalated with online shopping and by e-commerce sellers using posts to send parcels. This has resulted in an increased risk of dangerous goods being introduced into international mail.
TRACIT has established a separate program to mobilize action against illicit parcels transported through postal and express carriers. TRACIT engages with several IGOs to deliver private sector expertise in developing policy measures to mitigate illicit trade. TRACIT is also working with express carriers to understand their security priorities and encourage better due diligence and share information to better intercept illicit parcels. 
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Engagement with Universal Postal Union (UPU)

The UPU is a United Nations agency and the primary forum for cooperation and rule-setting by and between the national posts. TRACIT contributes heavily to UPU’s work program on illicit trade to help national posts confront the growing challenge and guard the parcel delivery infrastructure from criminal exploitation. 

• UPU-TRACIT survey: to understand the challenges faced by postal operators in fighting illicit trade, with the support of TRACIT, UPU issued a survey to all its member national posts. The survey questions addressed vulnerabilities in postal networks, capacities of posts to intercept illicit parcels, data collection and exchange and suggestions by posts on how to improve the situation. The survey received over 115 national responses indicating that this is a priority. 


• UPU-TRACIT position paper: Considering that a large majority of designated operators (DOs) view illicit trade as an important problem and face challenges in addressing the situation, the UPU’s International Bureau (IB), in collaboration with TRACIT, drafted a joint position paper based on the information provided via the survey. The goal of the position paper is to raise awareness and provide stakeholders with tools to ensure the efficiency of their supply chains and reduce infiltration points and other vulnerabilities associated with the increase in illicit goods shipped via their networks. ​

1 March 2023 - TRACIT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a UN specialized agency and the postal sector's primary forum for international cooperation. The MOU establishes a foundation for collaborating on measures that can safeguard the postal supply chain from illicit trade and criminal exploitation of global postal services. More...

​Resources

• OECD/EUIPO (2018) Misuse of Small Parcels for Trade in Counterfeit Goods: Facts and Trends, Illicit Trade
• OECD (2021) E-Commerce Challenges in Illicit Trade in Fakes
• OECD/EUIPO (2021) Misuse of E-Commerce for Trade in Counterfeits

MEDIA CENTER

​Bern, 19 June 2019
TRACIT Addresses Illicit Trade in Small Parcels at the Universal Postal Union

Featured podcast

TRACIT’s Jeffrey Hardy joined the Universal Postal Union's Voice Mail podcast to discuss the dangers illicit trade presents to postal customers and employees, the costs it incurs on postal infrastructure and the ways to avoid these risks through public-private partnerships and capacity building. ​​Listen on:  SoundCloud   I   Spotify    I    Apple Podcast