The large city of Foz do Iguaçu, in the Brazilian state of Paraná, borders five cities in two countries – Ciudad del Este, Presidente Franco, Hernandárias, and Minga Guazú, in Paraguay; as well as Puerto Iguazú, in Argentina. “Home to roughly 1 million people, the region is truly cross-border in nature,” says international law professor Gustavo Oliveira Viera.

The team from Caminhos da Reportagem on TV Brasil – one of the channels owned by EBC – traveled to the triple border region where they spotted a case of international drug trafficking taking place in broad daylight. A 28-year-old man was carrying 3.6 kilograms of marijuana on a bus that had left Paraguay to cross the Brazilian border.

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More than 30 thousand people cross the Ponte da Fraternidade – or Fraternity Bridge –connecting Foz do Iguaçu and Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, every day. In addition, 100 thousand people cross the famous Ponte da Amizade – Friendship Bridge – linking Brazil and Paraguay.

According to local authorities, the intense flow of people coming and going makes it impossible to check everyone’s documents. The solution is to invest in training and technology. “We have invested in intelligence and in training our staff in nonverbal language,” Federal Revenue Service auditor Daniel Messias Linck notes.

This is how the Brazilian Revenue Service attempts to prevent yet another crime – human trafficking. “These cases tend to follow a pattern. Generally, these are people who cannot say exactly where they are going and who appear extremely frightened,” he goes on to say.

Combating child trafficking, in turn, requires a multidisciplinary approach. After joining forces, public agencies and society have reaped the rewards of the task force at the border. In Paraguay, reporter Flavia Peixoto spoke with a missionary couple to understand how the work is done. 

“We help families with food, education, and medicine because when they’re well, they’re not as susceptible to trafficking,” says Jacob Schaafsma, from the Netherlands. “We want to prevent this situation with vulnerable or dysfunctional families. We have had cases of parents and grandparents selling children,” Venezuelan Nathaly Schaafsma points out.

TV Brasil’s production team discovered that the lack of documentation is a goldmine for criminals. Such is the case of the granddaughter of housewife Cândida Sanabria. The child was not legally documented until she was almost three years old, after she was adopted by the family. “Abigail means everything to me. She’s my companion and my joy,” she says.

Crimes considered less serious, such as smuggling (when the goods are prohibited in Brazil) and embezzlement (when the goods are permitted, but the tax was not paid upon entering Brazilian territory), are the most common in Foz do Iguaçu.

“Smuggling and embezzlement are closely associated with organized crime and money laundering. They’re nearly inseparable. Members of organized crime realized long ago that embezzlement is perhaps even more profitable than drug trafficking. Some cell phone shipments here are worth up to BRL 5 million,” Federal Revenue Service auditor Carolina Morimoto reports.

Awards

On air since 2008, Caminhos da Reportagem is one of the most prestigious Brazilian journalistic productions among audiences and critics. In this first episode of the 2026 season, the theme is Foz do Iguaçu – crimes on Brazil’s busiest border. At the end of 2025, the show surpassed the milestone of 100 awards received. Since 2010, when the count began, accolades have reached 101. Episodes can be watched on TV Brasil’s YouTube page, in several languages.