Source: O Estado de S. Paulo, 23/11/2004

By Adriana Fernandes

BRASÍLIA - The IRS asked for support from the Army to reinforce inspection in Foz do Iguaçu. Operation Cataratas, to combat smuggling, caused protests and the bridge was closed.
The IRS estimates that US $ 5 million in goods illegally enter the country through the Friendship Bridge, which links Foz to Ciudad del Este. The delegate of the Revenue in Foz, José Carlos de Araújo, said that, with the operation, the contraband fell 90% and the Army can help in the security.

Sacoleiros are organizing bus convoys to evade inspection. Four buses seized in the operation were burned at the weekend in protest against the inspection.

The Secretary of Revenue, Jorge Rachid, told the State that there is funding for the resistance. "They are not operating alone."

For the president of the Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition (ETCO), Emerson Kapaz, the government is correct in tightening the siege. According to him, the region has become the great gateway for the smuggling and counterfeiting of products.