Brazil seizes 250 ampoules of slimming drugs smuggled from Paraguay

Brazilian authorities have seized a significant quantity of 250 ampoules of slimming drugs that were being smuggled from Paraguay. The operation, conducted by agents from the Integrated Force to Combat Organized Crime in Paraná (FICCO), took place in Marialva, Paraná state.

The unregistered foreign medications were discovered in the trunk of a vehicle driven by a 30-year-old man, who was arrested at the scene. The seizure followed an intelligence exchange between the local agency of the 32nd Military Police Battalion and FICCO agents. The drugs were found hidden under the passenger side carpet, packed in 30 boxes of 10 ampoules each.

This incident highlights a growing trend of contraband, particularly slimming drugs like those containing tirzepatide, entering Brazil from Paraguay. According to Receita Federal (Brazil's federal revenue agency), this type of smuggling has increased by 6% along the border between Ciudad del Este and Foz de Iguazú. While medications constituted 4% of all seized goods last year, they have already reached 10% this year. The quantity of seized slimming drugs has dramatically surged, with 79,837 units confiscated between January and April of this year, compared to 7,479 units from May to December of the previous year.