Former Argentine senator Edgardo Darío Kueider and his secretary were convicted of attempted currency smuggling in Paraguay, receiving suspended sentences after being detained in 2024 with undeclared funds. The former lawmaker also faces ongoing money laundering proceedings in the country and an extradition request from Argentina.
Ciudad del Este
Pytagua coverage mentioning Ciudad del Este.
Strict customs controls, primarily from Brazil, caused a traffic collapse in Ciudad del Este, with kilometers-long queues and hours-long waits to cross the border, a situation worsened by outdated road infrastructure.
The governments of Paraguay and the United States issued a joint statement denouncing cyber espionage operations against Paraguayan state networks, which they attribute to actors linked to the Chinese government.
A gang in Ciudad del Este has been kidnapping and robbing victims, predominantly Brazilian tourists, after luring them with fake profiles on the Grindr app, in a series of cases with the same modus operandi.
A cold air mass will bring frost and temperatures as low as 2°C to Paraguay starting Tuesday, according to an alert from the country's Directorate of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).
The Paraguayan Public Prosecutor's Office has requested a sentence of two years and two months in prison for former Argentine senator Edgardo Kueider and his secretary for attempted currency smuggling, after they were detained in December 2024 with over 200,000 undeclared US dollars, while the defense requested acquittal and the trial continues pending the verdict.
Brazil's Federal Revenue Service seized 3,500 vials of medication, mostly for weight loss, valued at R$ 320,000 and hidden in the doors of a car on the BR-277 highway in Paraná.
The high volatility of the Brazilian real against the Paraguayan guarani is reversing the trade flow on the Brazil-Paraguay border, encouraging Paraguayans to shop in Brazil while reducing the purchasing power of Brazilian informal cross-border traders and affecting the value of remittances.
The extramarital son of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, legally recognized in 2022, has filed a lawsuit to claim a seven-hectare plot of land in downtown Ciudad del Este, where shopping malls now operate. He alleges the property was improperly expropriated in 1990 and that the city government diverted it from its original intended use.
The influx of Brazilian students into Ciudad del Este is boosting the local economy with over $14 million monthly, but rising rents are displacing Paraguayan residents from traditional neighborhoods, sparking a housing crisis.
The foreign ministers of Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia signed the formal reactivation of the Urupabol integration mechanism in Asunción, which aims to strengthen political coordination and cooperation in areas such as infrastructure and trade.
Scientists from IICS-UNA have completed the first genomic mapping of the superbug MRSA in Paraguay, identifying three predominant genetic families and multiple resistance and virulence genes never before recorded locally, particularly in pediatric patients.
Horacio Cartes and Colorado governors gathered to define the Colorado Party's strategy to win as many municipalities as possible in the October 4 elections, which traditionally serve as a political barometer for the government's standing and future national elections.
The promissory note mafia in Paraguay has caused losses, evictions, and fraud in Ciudad del Este, while the justice system's slow response compounds the harm in a scheme involving law firms, corrupt officials, and a foreign financial company.
The department of Alto Paraná has established itself as the main stage for major heists in Paraguay over the past twelve years, with criminal organizations adopting paramilitary tactics inspired by the "Nuevo Cangaço," including the most recent attack in Santa Rita, where around 20 criminals stole approximately 3 billion guaraníes from banks and exchange houses.
Three candidates — Édgar Hernán Sosa, Rubén Darío Robadín, and Óscar Enrique Rolón — are vying for the position of Comptroller General of the Republic in Paraguay, with expectations that new authorities will be chosen as early as November, following a process led by Congress.
A new bilateral protocol between Paraguay and Brazil could exclude around 400 small cross-border carriers by eliminating the N1 category and requiring costly international documentation, with a transition period running through November 1, 2026.
The Argentine government's decision to expand the installation of free shops beyond border posts and authorized urban centers, formalized by Decree 438/2026, has raised alarm among merchants in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, who fear losing customers to neighboring Puerto Iguazú, Argentina.
The Federal Revenue Service of Foz do Iguaçu is holding the Contraband Expo at the Brazilian customs post to warn tourists about seized prohibited goods at the border crossing of the International Friendship Bridge.
The Municipality of Ciudad del Este ordered the preventive closure for three days of an electronics store belonging to JMC Emprendimientos S.A. (J.M. Electrónicos), located in the city's downtown area, following repeated complaints of alleged fraud against Brazilian tourists. In one case, two Brazilians reportedly paid around 97,000 reais via Pix and received only 30% of the purchased products, while in another case involving 22,500 reais, a salesperson was charged with fraud.
The International Friendship Bridge, the main connection between Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) and Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), will have partial traffic interruptions on the nights of June 11 and 12 for maintenance work carried out by the concessionaire EPR Iguaçu, including pavement repairs and lighting system restoration. Pedestrian access will also be restricted in the work area, but crossing will remain available on the opposite side.
The Municipality of Ciudad del Este has issued a tender to revitalize the Alejo García, Agustín Van Aaken, and Chino parks with an investment exceeding G. 64.8 billion, aiming to transform them into recreation centers, social integration hubs, and tourist attractions.
The Federal Revenue Service and the Federal Police dismantled a money laundering criminal organization linked to cigarette and agrochemical smuggling in Guaíra (PR), involving more than 375 million reais between 2019 and 2024, during Operation Sicarius, which executed 120 court orders across several Brazilian states.
Paulo Cándido Oliveira Da Silva, 39, considered the "ambassador" of the Comando Vermelho in Paraguay, was arrested in Luque during Operation Puma Py and expelled from the country in June 2026. He reportedly confessed to Brazilian authorities to the murders of 18 people during his time in Paraguay, including the killing of Arnaldo Rotela Gauto, known as "the king of cattle rustling," who was killed in Yuty in August 2024.