A truck carrying 40,000 boxes of cigarettes of Paraguayan origin was seized on Friday in the Mercedes region of the Brazilian state of Paraná. The shipment was reportedly smuggled. Authorities counted 40,000 packages of cigarettes without the corresponding legal documents; the estimated loss is R$2.65 million, about G. 2.9 billion.
The operation was conducted by the Paraná State Military Police together with Brazil’s Federal Police. While patrolling rural roads, officers spotted a truck speeding with its headlights off. The driver ignored their order to stop and continued for several kilometers.
After the vehicle stopped, its occupants abandoned the truck and fled into a wooded area. They were not found or identified. The vehicle was a red VW/Constellation.
The boxes were believed to have entered the country through smuggling. A count by authorities confirmed 40,000 packages of cigarettes, without the corresponding legal documents.