The cleaning operation, security strategy launched by the Government of Claudia Sheimbaum, has hit the “piracy” and smuggling, to the degree that has seized twice the apocryphal merchandise that the seized during the administrations of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Enrique Peña Nieto.
“In six blows of the cleaning operation, not counting the 300 million pesos that the National Customs Administration, (has been seized) more than one billion pesos in goods to crime in piracy,” said Santiago Nieto Castillo, director of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (Battle).
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The confiscation of “pirate” merchandise during the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Enrique Peña Nieto was 451 million 685 thousand pesos, revealed the documentation reviewed by Forbes Mexico on the operations carried out by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property during both six years.
This pirate merchandise insured in the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador was valued at 203 million 664 thousand pesos. And 2020 was the year in which there were fewer insured products, because Covid-19 pandemic caused the total closure of all economic activity in Mexico and the world.
All falsified products and pirates seized during the government of Enrique Peña Nieto were valued at 248 million 21 thousand 731 pesos.
When assuming the IMPI, “we find an absence of a public policy of fighting piracy and smuggling, which corresponds together with the National Customs Administration of Mexico,” said Santiago Nieto.
Claudia Sheinbaum and Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Economy, instructed that the rule of law is respected in Mexico from the fight against piracy and smuggling, recalled the former head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
After the presidential order, the operation Operation Clean was launched, on November 28, 2024, when more than 262 thousand 324 products were seized in Izazaga, Mexico City, for a value of 57 million pesos, said the director of the IMPI.
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On December 12, 2024, another operation was made in Sonora, where more than one million products was seized with a value of 150 million pesos, he explained.
He added that on December 26, 2024, a confiscation of 3 million products was made in Baja California, which were valued at 320 million pesos, said Santiago Nieto Castillo.
The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property made seizures of Pirate Merchandise in Durango, Coahuila and Tulancingo, Hidalgo.
The pirate merchandise was sold in stores such as Mexico Mart in Mexico City, in Merca China, Super Home and Hiper Casa in Hermosillo, Shunfeng in Saltillo, as well as Maxibodegas, and Chinese store in Ensenada.
“If in six operations carried out in six entities (they were insured) one billion pesos: what is the blow to the textile industry and the footwear industry,” he said.
The obligation of the Mexican authorities is to protect the formal industry against smuggling and paralate shop, concluded Santiago Nieto Castillo.
