Federal Highway Police (PRF) officers seized 1,288 vials of tirzepatide, a weight-loss drug, and 2,670 units of anabolic steroids during an inspection on BR-277 in the Curitiba metropolitan area. The cargo was hidden in concealed compartments on the sides of a truck body with Paraguayan plates.
The vehicle was stopped on Wednesday. The driver, a 25-year-old Brazilian, said he was heading to Araucária to load limestone, but officers noticed contradictions in his account and became suspicious of the trip's real destination and the company responsible for the cargo. During a thorough inspection, the officers found the hidden compartments.
The driver admitted he was aware of the illegal cargo. He was arrested and taken to the Federal Police in Curitiba.
Tirzepatide is a weight-loss drug whose use is growing in Brazil and Paraguay. The large price difference between the two countries fuels smuggling, both by criminal groups and by individuals. The Friendship Bridge, on the border between Ciudad del Este and Foz do Iguaçu, is the main entry route for these products into Brazil.