Source: Agora Campo Grande - Campo Grande / MS - 31/07/2010

Police officers from the Border Operations Department (DOF) seized yesterday on the MS-164 highway, in Ponta Porã, 357 kilometers from Campo Grande, smuggling cigarettes practiced by sacoleiros in the form of an operation.

The seizures were made while approaching two vehicles, which had the same destination - Sidrolândia, 60 kilometers from the capital. The packet of smuggled cigarettes from Paraguay is sold at prices ranging from R $ 1 to R $ 1,50.}

The price, without the charge of IPI (Tax on Industrialized Products), competes with the national product. Paraguay, however, is Brazil's main tobacco importer.

The industrialized product in Paraguay, however, does not follow the procedure of foreign trade, not least because there is no importer in Brazil, and the low price encourages smuggling, both by large organized gangs and by small street vendors, the so-called sacoleiros.

According to the DOF, in a passenger vehicle, 425 packages of cigarettes were found.

The merchandise was divided between three small traders - MJSF, 25, a resident of Sidrolândia, who said he owned 150 packages; MAA, 44 years old, resident in Ponta Porã, owner of 150 packages, and CAP, 30 years old, also from Ponta Porã, who took over 125 packages.

In another passenger car, more cigarettes were seized. In the vehicle, driven by CNM, 36 years old, living in Sidrolândia, 175 packages were seized.