Crisis24’s Investigation and Advisory Support Led to a Successful Reinstatement of Client’s C-TPAT Certification and Minimized the Disruption to its Supply Chain Operations

The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) is a safety measure that the US trade industry takes against terrorism. It enables organizations to receive a number of benefits, including dedicated fast lane border access. Our client has manufacturing facilities in Mexico with distribution centers along the southern US border. Following the seizure by US Customs and Border Enforcement at the US/Mexico border of illegal contraband mixed within our client’s supply chain, their C-TPAT privileges were suspended. The loss of fast lane privileges had cascading negative supply chain and reputational implications.

Collaborative Investigation and Threat Assessment

Crisis24 was mandated, in conjunction with the client’s retained external legal counsel, to investigate the operations of their subsidiaries in Mexico. The objectives of the independent investigation were to determine if there was employee complicity and to reinstate the C-TPAT (fast lane) certification/privileges.

Our team undertook a preliminary investigation to establish the facts and build an investigative strategy. Concurrently, we conducted a threat assessment and route risk assessment for two of the client’s operational sites and a transnational route of over 900km. Upon agreement with the client, we launched a full investigation and deployed four consultants to conduct interviews with local employees under the guise of a security vulnerability assessment.

Effective Risk Reporting

We established a comprehensive risk register to identify each risk, their significance level, and the mitigation measures in place. We delivered an investigative report inclusive of a route risk assessment and recommendations to address the identified threats and vulnerabilities.

Crisis24 was able to determine there was little likelihood of employee complicity and that the cartels had compromised and exploited the sub-contracted freight transporter. We worked with our client to address ongoing risks as they switched providers and elaborated strategies to reduce the risk of extortion to their employees by organized crime. This also informed the client’s response to the regulatory authority resulting in the successful reinstatement of their CTPAT certification and privileges.