According to a survey carried out by CNI, cargo theft is the most frequent offense against large industries
Year after year, the illicit market is the cause of billion-dollar losses in the productive sector in Brazil. The Brasil Legal Special Survey, carried out by , shows that 1/3 of industrial companies were affected by illicit acts in the last 2 years. The result of this is a loss of net sales revenue of R$39 billion.
For 50% of impacted companies, the loss of gross revenue is the main negative effect. In 2nd place comes the loss of market share, with 30%, followed by the increase in security costs (28%).
Small and medium businesses
Around 31% of companies say their activities have been affected. This number is more common among medium and large companies (32% and 33%), when compared to small ones (25%).
The superintendent of Industrial Policy at CNI, Fabrício Silveira, said that the average negative impact observed in small companies is 0.6% of the companies’ annual net sales revenue, while in medium-sized companies it is 0.8% and in large companies it is 0.4%, which confirms the greater exposure to economic risk arising from illicit activities among small and medium-sized companies.
“With leaner financial structures, less capacity to dilute fixed costs and more restricted access to credit and protection instruments, small businesses tend to be more affected, mainly through unfair competition”declared Silveira.
Cargo theft leads
According to the survey, 32% of companies stated that they are directly affected by cargo theft. In Rio de Janeiro alone, in the year 2025, the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro estimated a loss of R$314 million, with an average of 8 trucks attacked per day.
The 2nd type of illicit most cited by companies affected by the illegal market was “non-compliance of products with technical regulations”with 29%. It is related to the commercialization of products that do not meet the technical, regulatory or safety standards required by law, including the absence of mandatory certifications, inadequate labeling or non-compliance with quality standards.
Among medium and small companies, non-compliance of products with technical regulations is the main problem, affecting 33% and 26% of impacted companies, respectively.
“These practices can bring risks to the consumer and constitute unfair competition, resulting in losses to the formal industry”said Fabrício Silveira.
High prevention costs
Preventing illegal activities costs more than crime, this is what the study shows. The survey shows that industry spending on security, such as property and cyber, for example, is equivalent to 1.1% of net revenue, which totals an impact of R$68.5 billion, a value higher than the direct losses caused by illicit acts, which reaches R$39.1 billion.
However, Fabrício Silveira warns that investment in digital security is still low. “Despite the growing sophistication of these threats, the level of investment by companies is still limited. The special survey shows that around 77.1% of Brazilian companies allocate only 1% or less of their budget to cybersecurity actions. Cybersecurity needs to play a more strategic role in combating illegalities”, he states.
Supervision and control
77% point to increased inspection and control as the main measure to combat the effects of illegalities. 46% also believe that investing in intelligence actions can be effective, while 36% believe in tightening legislation.
Furthermore, for 41% of companies, the states’ public security bodies, such as the Civil and Military police, are those that most need strengthening, as crime is very active in physical local markets and transport routes. The Federal Police (38%) and the Federal Revenue Service (36%) are next on the list of priorities to strengthen the fight against structured schemes and the defense of ports, airports and borders.
This text was originally published by Agência CNI, on May 26, 2026. The content is free for republication, citing the source, and was adapted to the standard of Poder360.
