Black market in cigarettes as a business and money laundering option for criminal groups accounts for up to $7.5 billion in Mexican smuggling. Cigarette smuggling by drug trafficking groups has gained strength in recent years, port authorities and groups in Latin America warn.
The movement of illegal tobacco, mostly from Asia, has permeated most Latin American countries, with Panama being one of the main access points. Illicit tobacco, which does not follow health or quality controls, enters Panama through smuggling and continues to the north of the continent by sea or land.