Fraud type · Drug smuggling

Drug smuggling in air cargo: shipments in the name of a company that does not exist or knows nothing

Air cargo is fast, and that makes it attractive to smugglers. A shipment of a few boxes travels from Bogotá to Schiphol or Liège within a day. The air waybill names a shipper and a consignee. Those names are exactly what criminals try to borrow.

SafetyBizz Knowledge base · updated 21 October 2026 · 6 min read · NL · FR · DE · SV

How do smugglers use companies to send drugs by air cargo?

Short answer: they have the shipment sent by an export company they set up themselves, or they put the name of an existing business as consignee on the air waybill. The drugs are hidden in ordinary trade goods. When the shipment is intercepted, the AWB leads to a company that cannot be found or that genuinely ordered nothing.

In Colombia, a network was dismantled in 2023 that had set up legal export companies and hid cocaine in charcoal, organic fertiliser and coffee, with shipments to Belgium and the Netherlands among others, also via Bogotá airport. Networks also use airport employees to let shipments pass unseen.

Which variants do you come across?

The ghost exporter: a newly incorporated company in the country of origin, with a website and real trade goods as cover.
The misused consignee: an existing European company is named as consignee on the AWB but ordered nothing. A "courier" or "agent" tries to collect the shipment before the company notices anything.
The cloned importer: the shipment is booked through a look-alike email address in the name of a well-known company, with a different delivery address. See Spotting a clone company.
The contaminated genuine shipment: a bona fide shipment is topped up with drugs at the shipper or at the airport. The real company’s name is on the documents.

Typical cover goods: food (fruit, juice, fish, chocolate), coffee, fertiliser, statues and furniture, and electronics. A shipment that does not fit what the company normally does is the most important signal.

How big is the problem?

Customs at Schiphol intercepted around 1,700 kilos of cocaine in air cargo in 2024 and around 590 kilos in 2025. At the same time, the amount of cannabis seized at Schiphol rose to 7,500 kilos in 2025, mostly in air cargo and often hidden in furniture. In June 2025, 30 kilos of cocaine were found in cartons of fruit juice from Bogotá.

What does it cost me as a forwarder or consignee?

As a forwarder, you accepted the shipment and filed the declaration: you become part of the investigation, and your status as a known consignor or trusted operator may come under pressure. As a consignee, your name is on the air waybill: you will have to explain why, even if you know nothing. In both cases, extra checks on all your following shipments often follow.

Which red flags should a forwarder or handler know?

A new shipper from a high-risk countrythat wants to ship by air straight away, while sea freight would be much cheaper.
High freight costs for cheap goodssuch as fertiliser, charcoal, vegetables or cheap furniture by plane.
The consignee does not respond or is surprisedwhen you contact them through the official number.
Someone other than the consignee wants to collect the shipmentor presses for quick release.
A delivery address that does not belong to the consigneesuch as a warehouse, a business centre or a private address.
Contact only by mobile or a free email addressor via a domain that was registered only recently.
Cash payment or payment by a third partyfrom another country.
Last-minute changesto the consignee, address or collector after the shipment is already on its way.

One red flag is not proof. If you see two or more, stop and check further first.

How do I check a shipper or consignee?

Look both companies up in the official register: do they exist, are they active, does the activity fit the shipment?
Check the consignee’s VAT and EORI number and whether the name matches the AWB exactly.
Call the consignee on the landline from the register or the website and ask whether they expect this shipment.
Only release the shipment to someone who demonstrably acts on behalf of the consignee, with a written authorisation from the known contact.
Compare email addresses and domains with the official website and check how old the domain is.
Record everything: who booked, who called, who came to collect the shipment.

What do I do if I suspect a shipment, or if a shipment I do not recognise is in my name?

Do not release the shipment and report it to customs or the police.
If your company is named as consignee on a shipment you did not order: accept nothing, report it immediately to customs and the forwarder, and record when you heard about it.
Warn the real company if you suspect a clone, using the number from the register.
Keep all documents and messages. Do not open the shipment yourself.

Let Safetybizz check it

Safetybizz checks shipper and consignee in the official registers, checks VAT and EORI numbers, and looks at whether email address, phone number and bank account really belong to the company. You can also check an AWB number for free in the search bar.

See SafetyBizz

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if an air cargo shipment I did not order is in my company’s name?

Accept nothing, report it immediately to customs and the forwarder, and record when and how you heard about it. Do not try to contact the shipper yourself.

Why do smugglers use air cargo when sea freight is cheaper?

Air cargo is fast, shipments are small and can reach their destination within a day. That limits the time in which the shipment can be checked and in which the real consignee notices anything.

How do I check an AWB number?

An air waybill number has 11 digits: 3 for the airline and 8 for the shipment, with a check digit at the end. A valid number does not prove the shipment is genuine; always ask the airline or your forwarder for the status.

Which goods are often used as cover in air cargo?

Food such as fruit, juice, fish and chocolate, as well as coffee, fertiliser, statues, furniture and electronics.

Free checks

Sources: NH Nieuws: how criminals smuggled hundreds of kilos of drugs through Schiphol (2026); Osprey Flight Solutions: air cargo and organised crime groups in Latin America.

This page is general information and not legal advice.