Research in cocaine destination ports, especially in Europe, has identified rip-off as one of the most prevalent modes of drug importation. In this article, we qualitatively analyse rip-off in export from ports of origin in South America. What are the tactics of this modality and how do they adapt to port security measures? We seek to answer these questions on the basis of fieldwork in the Brazilian ports of Santos and Paranaguá, from which we compare local tactics with international typologies. As a result, we distinguish rip-off into classic, contemporary and fake, demonstrating that the tactical shifts of this modality confound its typological definitions and evidence the complexity of organised crime as an activity.