Long before the first Customs house was ever built, merchants were loading boats on the Nile, walking goods across mountain passes, and sailing spices halfway around the world. Trade is not a modern invention; it is the fabric of human history. And for as long as trade has existed, so too has the temptation to corrupt it.

Where goods move, so too do smugglers, counterfeiters, and those who would hide the illicit among the legitimate. The ancient trader could account for every bale on a single ship; today’s supply chain moves hundreds of millions of shipments a year through a web no single eye can follow.

In the past, border security relied heavily on physical interventions and documentary checks conducted at official ports of entry. The sheer scale of the modern global economy has rendered this traditional model unsustainable. The reality is that Customs authorities cannot inspect enough shipments and containers to counter the risks embedded within modern supply chains.

This has been a constant frustration for border officials. What has changed is the capacity to see. For the first time, digital chain-of-custody frameworks, real-time monitoring, and AI-driven analytics can be combined into a continuous operational picture that follows cargo not just at the border, but across the entire journey. The visibility gap that criminal networks have exploited for generations is, for the first time, closeable.

The answer is not to slow commerce to accommodate inspections. It is to make supply chains inherently smarter, more transparent, and therefore more secure, by closing the visibility gaps that exist between control points.

To address this, the global Customs community must first acknowledge where the modern logistics ecosystem is most vulnerable. Enforcement has historically concentrated at fixed checkpoints: seaports, airports, and land borders. Today’s supply chain is not fixed. It is a sprawling, interconnected web of massive transshipment hubs, vast inland corridors, and countless cargo handoffs between disparate commercial entities.

A critical visibility gap frequently emerges in the operational spaces between these established control points. During overland transit, extended dwell times and complex routing create prime windows for criminal exploitation. Transnational criminal organizations have evolved far beyond covert smuggling; they now systematically exploit legitimate international trade routes.

A prominent example is the “rip-on/rip-off” technique, in which illicit goods such as narcotics are surreptitiously introduced into compliant containers during vulnerable transit phases, then extracted before the cargo reaches its destination. Because these activities occur in the blind spots of the logistics network, criminals can embed contraband within the millions of containers moving through the global system. Cargo integrity, in other words, is most often compromised not at the port, but in the spaces between Customs checkpoints.^[1]

The global Customs community must shift from a reactive posture focused on point-of-entry inspections to a proactive, intelligence-driven risk management model, one that maintains continuous awareness of cargo movements, custody changes, and operational anomalies across the entire supply chain. By integrating data from multiple sources into a unified operational picture and establishing a verifiable digital chain of custody, authorities can identify risks as they emerge rather than discovering them only at the border.

This approach aligns naturally with the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards and its emphasis on intelligence-led risk management and trusted-trader concepts such as the Authorized Economic Operator. A digital chain of custody alone, however, is not enough.^[2] It must be complemented by AI-driven analytics that transform vast volumes of supply chain data into actionable intelligence, enabling stakeholders to detect anomalies, prioritize risks, and make informed decisions in real time.

The operational challenges described above, and the solutions required to overcome them, are well illustrated by the Panama Canal ecosystem. As one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, the Canal connects trade flows between Asia, the Americas, and Europe, handling an estimated 5 to 6 percent of global seaborne trade.^[3] Panama’s interconnected port system functions as a premier transshipment hub, moving roughly 10 million TEUs annually, the large majority of it transshipment cargo connecting the Atlantic and Pacific gateways.^[4]

That scale and complexity make the region a highly attractive target for transnational criminal organizations seeking to move narcotics, contraband, and counterfeit goods through otherwise lawful channels. The threat is undeniable: in 2023, Panamanian authorities seized more than 95 metric tons of cocaine, a significant share of it linked to containerized cargo.^[5]

Panama also offers a practical demonstration of how digital chain-of-custody technologies and data-driven risk management can close the visibility gap. The Panama Transshipment Group (PTG), the country’s largest logistics operator, recently became the first to deploy an AI-powered cargo security platform designed specifically to eliminate blind spots in overland transit.

In practice, the deployment combines three capabilities that together turn raw supply chain data into continuous visibility: Verifiable identity.

A strict, auditable digital chain of custody uses biometric verification to link specific drivers and vehicles directly to individual containers and their security seals, creating an unbroken record from origin to destination so that every physical handoff is verified and observable.

Continuous monitoring. A centralized operations platform aggregates real-time fleet and driver data, allowing operators and security teams to monitor cargo flows without interruption and detect operational anomalies as they happen.

Predictive analytics. Because the volume of data is too vast for manual review, AI detects subtle anomalies in shipping patterns, routing behavior, and dwell times that human analysis alone might miss.

Together, these capabilities give Customs and border professionals a far clearer view of where cargo is, who is handling it, and, crucially, whether the cargo’s profile has changed suspiciously during its journey. By delivering verified, real-time chain-of-custody data directly to regulatory agencies, the model reduces the burden of random inspection and gives authorities the precise intelligence they need to act quickly.

Technology and analytics provide unprecedented visibility, but a truly resilient security framework rests on three integrated pillars, People, Partnerships, and Technology, working together to build trust.

People. Criminal networks relentlessly probe the logistics ecosystem for the weakest human link. Stringent background vetting, robust anti-corruption measures, and a culture of accountability are therefore essential. Customs administrations must also invest in training and upskilling officers to interpret advanced analytics and convert digital intelligence into decisive, on-the-ground action.

Partnerships. Securing global trade corridors is an economic-security imperative that no single agency can meet alone. It demands deep, institutionalized collaboration between regulators and the private sector. As Kevin McAleenan, former Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, has noted, securing the global supply chain requires innovation, trust, and the ability to verify each handoff along the way. ^[6]

Trust. Compliance with recognized international security frameworks, such as BASC (Business Alliance for Secure Commerce) and C-TPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism), allows private-sector partners to build the transparency Customs needs to identify threats early.

This model of continuous visibility and layered intelligence directly supports the profession’s core mandates.

Alignment with WCO standards. A transparent, data-driven supply chain advances the SAFE Framework’s vision of intelligence-led risk management, shifting the focus from the physical border to the entire lifecycle of the cargo.

Resource optimization. When operators share verified, real-time chain-of-custody data with authorities, the influx of high-quality intelligence sharply reduces the need for broad, random inspections. It enables more accurate risk assessment, ensuring that finite enforcement resources are concentrated on genuinely high-risk, anomalous cargo.

Recent policy shifts point clearly to where the field is heading. Across jurisdictions, administrations are moving toward frameworks that demand deep, upstream visibility into the origins and transit paths of goods, through advance-data mandates, supply chain certifications, continuous vetting, and the expanded use of non-intrusive inspection technologies. The European Union’s ICS2 import-control system and tightened US importer-disclosure requirements are two expressions of the same global trend.

Supply chain visibility is no longer an optional enhancement. It is a foundational requirement for international security. As Panama demonstrates, the future of Customs lies in combining continuous visibility, trusted digital chain-of-custody frameworks, and AI-driven intelligence, enabling earlier identification of risks and more effective allocation of resources while facilitating the secure movement of legitimate trade.

More information
troy.miller@bigbear.ai
https://bigbear.ai/

^[1] AL-Shboul, M. A. (2023). Facilitating trade and improving supply chain security through transit trade mobility: An empirical investigation from developing country. Cogent Social Sciences, 9. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2263942

^[2] World Customs Organization. (2021). SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade. Brussels, Belgium: World Customs Organization. https://www.wcoomd.org/-/media/wco/public/global/pdf/topics/facilitation/instruments-and-tools/tools/safe-package/safe-framework-of-standards.pdf

^[3] Panama Canal Authority. (2025, January 31). Panama Canal reaffirms its strategic role and sustainability agenda at Inside Latam Panama 2025. https://pancanal.com/en/canal-de-panama-reafirma-su-papel-estrategico-y-su-agenda-de-sostenibilidad-en-inside-latam-panama-2025

^[4] Tandon, V. (2025). The Importance of the Panama Canal. Northern Trust Weekly Economic Commentary.https://www.northerntrust.com/united-states/insights-research/2025/weekly-economic-commentary/the-importance-of-the-panama-canal

^[5] InSight Crime. (2024, March). InSight Crime’s 2023 cocaine seizure round-up. InSight Crime. https://insightcrime.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/InSight-Crimes-2023-Cocaine-Seizure-Round-Up-March-2024-v3.pdf

^[6] BigBear.ai and International Shipping Compliance (ISC) Announce First Deployment of AI-Powered Supply Chain Security Platform in Panama’s Dry Canal.” Business Wire, May 20, 2026.