# High Risk Cargo

*Last updated: 2026-07-19*

> When a shipment originates from a conflict-affected country or shows signs of tampering, authorities and supply chain participants classify it as high risk cargo (High Risk Cargo and Mail, HRCM).

When a shipment originates from a conflict-affected country or shows signs of tampering, authorities and supply chain participants classify it as high risk cargo (High Risk Cargo and Mail, HRCM). The term comes from air cargo security and refers to cargo and mail for which specific indications of an elevated threat exist – for example due to origin, routing or suspicious characteristics of the shipment. The concept is anchored in ICAO Annex 17 and, in the EU, in chapters 6.7 and 6.8 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1998. High risk cargo must undergo enhanced screening, often combining several control methods, before a Regulated Agent or the airline releases it for loading. On handover it is labelled accordingly, for example with the status code HRCM. Not to be confused with dangerous goods, which are regulated because of their physical or chemical properties, not because of a security threat.

**Source:** [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2015/1998/oj](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2015/1998/oj)

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Term | High Risk Cargo |
| Language | EN |
| Word count | 146 |
| Last updated | 2026-07-19 |
| Source | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2015/1998/oj |

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