Latin American troubles pile up for Smurfit Kappa

The state of Venezuela has seized one of the packaging company’s factories, while it’s also at loggerheads with environmentalists and trade unions in Colombia

Tony Smurfit: the chief executive of Smurfit Kappa has plenty on his plate after a series of legal reverses in South America Pic: Fergal Phillips

Last week, through its official website, the state of Venezuela announced it had seized a plant belonging to Smurfit Kappa and detained two of its employees.

The charges – when translated from Spanish to English – are “speculation, boycott, extracting contraband, as well as corruption between individuals and non-compliance with formalities, relating to price remarking; as well as selling or offering goods or services at prices higher than those determined in the Organic ...