Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service began a 30-day test in October 2026 of a biometric reader that records pedestrian crossings at Friendship Bridge and may help direct inspections.
Puente de la Amistad
Pytagua coverage mentioning Puente de la Amistad.
Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service will demonstrate a voluntary new biometric system on September 30 at Friendship Bridge for pedestrians arriving from Ciudad del Este. Developed by Serpro, the system will be evaluated before any future implementation stages, Diario La Jornada reports.
A truck with Paraguayan license plates was carrying 240 kilograms of cocaine hidden in four tires when it was stopped on BR-277 in Céu Azul, in Brazil’s Paraná state; the driver fled on foot.
Two Congolese citizens were detained at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Luque while trying to board a flight to Europe with genuine Brazilian passports belonging to other people, revealing the use of Paraguay as a transit platform for document fraud.
The opening of the Integration Bridge is advancing in stages, while about 7,500 trucks have already traveled through the corridor and the Paraguayan access route to the International Friendship Bridge has potholes along approximately four kilometers of Ruta PY02.
Operations by the National Anti-Drug Secretariat and Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service seized about 595 kilograms of marijuana in Salto del Guairá and at the Friendship Bridge on the Paraguay-Brazil border.
Puente de la Amistad will have partial closures from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday for repairs to the pavement, structure and walkways, while vehicle traffic between Ciudad del Este and Foz do Iguaçu remains open.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Former Argentine senator Edgardo Darío Kueider and his secretary, Iara Guinsel, were convicted of attempted smuggling in Paraguay. Their sentences of two years and one year and ten months, respectively, were suspended.
According to PMT director Leonardo Roa, customs inspections contributed to traffic congestion in Ciudad del Este, where queues stretched for several kilometers and waits to cross the border reached up to three hours. He also cited limitations in the road infrastructure.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Brazil and Paraguay held a joint commission meeting to negotiate expanding the operations of the Puente de la Integración, with Brazil prioritizing cargo transport and resisting the passage of light vehicles, while complementary works on both sides of the border still need to be completed for the bridge's full opening.