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.
Foz do Iguaçu
Pytagua coverage mentioning Foz do Iguaçu.
Brazil's Federal Revenue changed the priority access system at the Friendship Bridge to an individual electronic registry after detecting irregularities, maintaining the benefit for patients undergoing regular treatments, which sparked protests from families fearing a return to long queues.
The Federal Revenue seized at the Friendship Bridge a shipment of sealed boxes that, supposedly containing high-value cellphones, were filled only with dirt.
Construction on the Puente Bioceánico and Puente de la Integración border bridges is advancing, but the necessary highway access roads and customs facilities required for their full operation are only projected for completion in 2027. Meanwhile, the increase in traffic on one of them is already drawing criticism for a lack of urban planning.
The Brazilian Federal Police (PF) seized over two tons of marijuana hidden in a shipment of rice that originated in Paraguay and was intercepted at a toll booth on the BR277 highway in Paraná state.
A Brazilian military operation on the border with Paraguay, which began on July 20th, is causing major traffic jams and impacting tourism in the region during the Argentine winter holidays.
Operation Hawala has arrested 10 people for laundering R$ 100 million for criminal factions and is investigating evidence of a link to Al-Qaeda in the Triple Frontier region.
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in Ciudad del Este, with kilometers-long queues and hours-long waits to cross the border, a situation worsened by outdated road infrastructure.
Starting August 3, 2026, the Integration Bridge between Paraguay and Brazil will expand traffic to empty trucks and international urban buses, aiming to ease congestion on the Friendship Bridge and improve border logistics.
Brazilian authorities warn that Paraguayan vehicles with outstanding fines may be impounded at the Foz do Iguaçu border crossing during the winter holidays, as debts from foreign license plates total more than 42 million reais.
Brazilian authorities seized explosive material with a detonating cord on Friday night, believed to have been used in the June 16 mega bank robbery in Santa Rita, Paraguay, during a joint operation in the border area that led to the arrest of two suspects and their transfer to the Federal Police in Foz do Iguaçu.
The Federal Highway Police made the largest rifle seizure in its history by intercepting a truck on BR-277 in Santa Terezinha de Itaipu carrying 25 rifles, 16 pistols, over 5,000 rounds of ammunition, and 127 magazines. The 28-year-old driver was arrested and handed over to the Federal Police on charges of international arms trafficking.
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 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.
On the morning of May 22, two Paraguayan buses carrying 106 Cerro Porteño fans returning from São Paulo lost their brakes and collided with light vehicles on BR-277 near the Friendship Bridge. The drivers were taken to Foz do Iguaçu Municipal Hospital with minor injuries; all passengers disembarked without serious injuries.
Criminal groups dominate the illegal trade of tirzepatide-based weight-loss drugs in the Triple Border region. Robberies, smuggling and counterfeiting generate million-dollar profits, while authorities struggle to contain the black market's advance.