Puente de la Amistad

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.

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in Ciudad del Este, with kilometers-long queues and hours-long waits to cross the border, a situation worsened by outdated road infrastructure.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 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.

The president of the Paraguayan Congress, Basilio "Bachi" Núñez, described the display of degrading messages and images on an LED screen in the primary zone of Ciudad del Este, near the Puente de la Amistad, as an "affront to dignity" and demanded an investigation to determine responsibility.

Inaugurated in 1965, the main border crossing between Ciudad del Este and Foz do Iguaçu operates well beyond its original capacity, creating kilometer-long traffic jams that worsen on shopping dates and holidays. Motorcycle taxis have become an alternative for crossing the 552 meters over the Paraná River, while the full opening of the Integration Bridge is seen as an urgent solution.

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.

Federal Highway Police intercepted a truck with Paraguayan plates in the Curitiba metropolitan area and found 1,288 vials of tirzepatide, 2,670 units of anabolic steroids, and other illegal products hidden in concealed compartments in the body. The driver, a 25-year-old Brazilian, was arrested on the spot.

Smuggling of tirzepatide-based weight-loss drugs from Paraguay into Brazil has increased sevenfold this year, with the Friendship Bridge as the main entry point. Brazil's Federal Police warn of the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation as criminal groups and small-scale smuggling advance.

The Chamber of Commerce and Services of Ciudad del Este sent a letter to President Santiago Peña requesting the full opening of the Puente de la Integración as of July 1, 2026, amid the impasse in negotiations with Brazil, which maintains restrictions on light vehicle traffic.

In Presidente Franco, Alto Paraná department, a father refused to vaccinate his three children against measles, raising concern among health authorities. The director of the Tenth Health Region, Federico Schrodel, and the head of the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI), Sergio Cetrini, warn that misinformation can lead to outbreaks of the disease, which is highly contagious and has already been reported in neighboring countries. The Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Codeni) was notified and may sue the father for breach of duty of care.

The Tripartite Command, a division of the National Police of Paraguay that integrates security forces from Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, completed 30 years of operations in the Triple Frontier. In a ceremony in Ciudad del Este, authorities highlighted cooperation in combating transnational crime, and the presidency was transferred from Paraguay to Argentina.