In an operation completed Friday, Brazilian telecommunications agency Anatel seized thousands of illegal products in warehouses and distribution centers operated by Amazon.
Product certification with Anatel is mandatory for products that transmit radio frequency. It is a record that aims to ensure that the item, which has been stamped by the agency, meets the quality and safety standards set in the country. When purchasing an unapproved product, Brazilian consumers do not have the guarantee of technical assistance in case of technical problems, or to file a complaint through Anatel so that the agency can intervene in case of unresolved problems.
The Anatel investigation, which lasted more than a week and took place at Amazon’s locations in the Brazilian cities of Betim and Cajamar, is part of the agency’s initiatives to tackle the sale of illegal products on online marketplaces. After inspecting 67,000 items with a team of 16 Anatel agents, about 5,700 illegal products were identified, including wireless headphones, portable batteries and smartphone chargers, all of which did not have Anatel certification.
The agency estimates that the seized equipment, if sold, would be worth about 500,000 Brazilian reais ($95,000). The telecommunications agency received the support of the Smuggling and Embezzlement Division of the Brazilian Federal Tax Office in São Paulo and the specialized federal prosecutor.
Anatel’s advisor, Moisés Moreira, and inspection inspector, Hermano Tercius, coordinated Anatel’s investigation at Amazon. According to Moreira, “Anatel has been constantly working with marketplaces to prohibit the publication of advertisements for irregular products,” Moreira noted, adding that Amazon “fully cooperated with the inspection agents, by properly identifying and verifying the products passed through its various sellers are sold bidding. .”
For Tercius, “such an inspection action provides consumer confidence by ensuring the purchase of proven quality telecommunications products that do not compromise the physical integrity of consumers and their families.”
Anatel’s inspection activity at Amazon is part of the agency’s broader plan to tackle piracy. Since 2018, Anatel’s inspection actions along with other agencies have seized about 4.6 million irregular products, worth a total estimated value of 500 million Brazilian reais ($95 million).
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