Paraná is the main gateway for cigarette smuggling in the country

Paraná is considered the main port of entry for smuggled cigarettes from Paraguay in the country. According to data from the Federal Highway Police, in 2016, 200 packs of cigarettes were seized in the state, against 2 million the previous year. In 2015 alone, this volume represented a tax evasion of at least R $ 220 million to public coffers, money that could have been invested in areas such as health, safety and housing. Seizures occur mainly in border areas, in the municipalities of Céu Azul, Cascavel, Alto Paraíso, Guaíra, Lindoeste and Foz do Iguaçu. In Paraná alone, the PRF needs to monitor 220 kilometers of Brazil's border with Paraguay in an attempt to prevent illegal products from entering the country. To this end, PRF spokesman Maciel Junior explains that the teams have been working on mapping the main smuggling routes in the state.

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Source: Band News Curitiba (06/01/17)