A 20-year-old Paraguayan woman was rescued by Brazil’s Federal Police in Marechal Cândido Rondon after being lured to Brazil by a false job offer and taken to a brothel, while authorities investigate those responsible and possible other victims.
Ciudad del Este
Pytagua coverage mentioning Ciudad del Este.
Yo Creo leaders accused the Public Prosecutor’s Office of trying to keep Miguel Prieto out of the 2028 presidential race through a criminal case investigating payments of more than G. 11.2 billion for works linked to the Hospital of Ciudad del Este. The case, which also involves lawmaker Walter García, has not produced public evidence of political coordination.
Brazil is negotiating with Paraguay to reduce the DTVF fee before private vehicles begin crossing the Integration Bridge on September 14, under a regime restricted to residents of four border cities.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office accused former Ciudad del Este mayor Miguel Prieto, Sebastián Martínez Insfrán and councilor Valeria Romero of an alleged breach of trust involving Regional Hospital funds and asked for the case to proceed to oral trial. The request remains subject to a preliminary hearing.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office seized products containing tirzepatide from the “TG,” “Tirzec” and “Lipoless” brands at two pharmacies in Ciudad del Este. The products are suspected of being counterfeit, but their authenticity still must be confirmed by forensic testing.
From September 14, 2026, residents of Ciudad del Este, Presidente Franco, Hernandarias and Foz do Iguaçu will be able to cross the Puente de la Integración in private cars from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. using the Documento de Tránsito Vecinal Fronterizo, while empty trucks will have extended access from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The trial of Miguel Prieto and 10 other defendants in the Tía Chela case, concerning the purchase of 25,000 food kits in 2020, will continue on September 7 after the first hearing ended without the presentation of the main evidence.
A Brazilian couple was arrested in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, on suspicion of selling their five-month-old child for R$15,000 in Ciudad del Este; the child was found in Brazil in the care of a couple.
Decree No. 6,692, signed by Santiago Peña, authorizes the transfer for consideration of a military property spanning more than 9 hectares at Km 8 in Ciudad del Este to the Ministry of Health to build the Gran Hospital de Alto Paraná. Itaipú will fully finance the physical works, initially planned to have 204 inpatient beds and 56 intensive care beds.
The Paraguayan government is negotiating $1.3 billion in loans with CAF, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and JICA for infrastructure, energy and logistics projects, with $700 million earmarked for the Ministry of Public Works and Communications.
A truck carrying 283 boxes of inputs without health registration, reportedly from Bolivia, was seized in Mariscal Estigarribia in Paraguay’s Chaco region. The driver was charged with smuggling, and authorities suspect the material could be used to counterfeit or market alleged injectable weight-loss medicines.
An American investor denounced alleged judicial maneuvers in a commercial dispute over the registration of the drug Tirzepatida to the US embassy in Paraguay, as reported by his lawyer Daniel Alarcón to broadcaster El Observador Radio TV.
Paraguay's National Police has more than 120,000 identity documents and passports unclaimed by citizens and warns of fraud attempts by Brazilian criminals from gangs seeking to obtain Paraguayan documents.
A judge dismissed a breach of trust complaint against former Ciudad del Este mayor Miguel Prieto in the asphalt plant bidding case, after the Public Prosecutor's Office found the municipality made no payments to the awarded company.
Paraguay's National Police arrested two Brazilian citizens suspected of belonging to the First Capital Command (PCC) criminal faction in Ciudad del Este. One was using a false identity and had an international arrest warrant for drug trafficking. They entered the country from Argentina clandestinely and were presumed to be planning to cross illegally into Argentina.
The German ambassador to Paraguay, Gordon Kricke, stated that there is growing interest from German companies in investing in the country, especially in the green energy, agribusiness, and maquila sectors, driven by local stability and the Mercosur-European Union agreement.
Senator Lilian Samaniego supports a bill to make mandatory vehicle technical inspection compulsory in all municipalities of Paraguay, aiming to decentralize the service and prevent accidents caused by vehicles in poor condition.
The municipality of Ciudad del Este is preparing a local ordinance and a bill is moving through the National Congress to regulate the circulation of electric scooters, aiming to reduce accidents following their increased use.
The Federal Revenue seized at the Friendship Bridge a shipment of sealed boxes that, supposedly containing high-value cellphones, were filled only with dirt.
The National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) dismantled two drug sales points in Asunción and Hernandarias this week, seized narcotics, and arrested two suspects.
The drop in fuel prices in Foz do Iguaçu attracts Paraguayan drivers seeking savings, but long traffic jams on the Friendship Bridge reduce the benefit of refueling in Brazil.
Paraguay's hotel sector recorded 43% growth in the first half of 2026, with an average occupancy of 61% driven mainly by business tourism and markets from Argentina and Brazil.
Paraguay reaches the milestone of 200 aeromedical transfers while preparing for the arrival of storms and a cold front with strong winds and a sharp drop in temperature.
President Santiago Peña celebrates the expansion of the Zero Hunger program, which serves over one million students, while Senator Ignacio Iramain criticizes the lack of reliable measurement of its real impact, pointing to operational failures and the absence of a baseline for evaluation.