An unusual shipment was intercepted by the Brazilian Federal Revenue on the Brazilian side of the Friendship Bridge, which connects Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, to Foz do Iguaçu. The incident occurred on Thursday around 6 p.m. during a routine inspection of a van with Paraguayan license plates.
Customs agents discovered a hidden compartment in the vehicle, which was driven by a Paraguayan citizen. Inside the compartment, there were 19 sealed boxes that apparently contained high-value cellphones.
However, upon opening the packages, the officials found that the boxes were filled with dirt in the form of mud and wrapped in plastic, with no electronic devices inside.
Given the discovery, the vehicle was seized for appropriate measures. The driver was released at the scene but will have to face an administrative process before Brazilian authorities.
Investigators suspect that the shipment may be related to a fraud scheme targeting Brazilian buyers, operated from Ciudad del Este. The method involves completing million-dollar transactions for the sale of electronics, but at the time of delivery, buyers receive worthless objects, such as dirt, instead of the promised goods.