DECOTA. Tobacco smugling detection in seaports

Project Description

One of the biggest reasons for tax fraud that occurs in ports around the world is the smuggling of tobacco; tobacco, due to the type of tax to which it is subject (more than 50% of its final value) is always susceptible to not be declared. Analyzing 100% of the containers entering a seaport is impossible, so this allows smugglers to import and export whole containers of tobacco, declaring it as another type of freight.

In a natural way, and like other organic products of habitual consumption, the tobacco emits gamma radiation due to radioactive isotopes that it includes.

The objective of the project is to investigate the radioactive spectra produced by the tobacco in order identify tobacco containers at maritime ports.

Collaborating Companies or Organisations

Indra's Role

Indra will be in charge of all the project phases including:

- Identification of the radiological characteristics of tobacco

- Identification of the main import points of smuggled tobacco

- Integration and automation of the information collected

- Validation with real cases of the final solution

Technologies used

Gamma spectroscopy, OCR

More information

This project, under reference nº 10/16/LE/0031, has been financed by the Agency for Innovation, finance and business internationalization of Castilla y León within the R&D Strategic Plans line.