The violent drug trafficking hotspot on the Paraguay-Brazil border

The small Paraguayan city of Pedro Juan Caballero was once known as a place for Brazilians to buy cheap electronics and domestic appliances — but it is now best known for being a crucial and violent drug crossing

drug brazil paraguay — Police forces operating along the Brazil-Paraguay border. Photo: Miguel Noronha/Agência F8/Folhapress

Jan 17, 2022 11:35 4 min read (Updated: Jan 17, 2022 11:44)

Perhaps, in a parallel universe, the small colonial Paraguayan city of Pedro Juan Caballero would be just another sleepy countryside town, with an economy based on cultivating the yerba mate which grows in abundance on its outskirts. But, in reality, it is one of the most violent places in the Southern Cone.

Home to little more than 100,000 people, the geographical location of Pedro Juan Caballero has been its downfall. Lying directly on the Paraguay-Brazil border and separated from the Brazilian city of Ponta Porã by nothing more than a series of barrier-less streets, Pedro Juan Caballero has become...

Access all of The Brazilian Report

Close search

Load more results

The violent drug trafficking hotspot on the Paraguay-Brazil border

The small Paraguayan city of Pedro Juan Caballero was once known as a place for Brazilians to buy cheap electronics and domestic appliances — but it is now best known for being a crucial and violent drug crossing

Access all of The Brazilian Report

Start your 7-day free trial (max 4 articles)

Brazilian courts eyeing record number of election observers

Brazil’s “third way” admits defeat

It has become clear that the center-right will not break the Lula-Bolsonaro dichotomy. So parties have stopped trying and are setting more pedestrian goals

Election changes should reduce fragmentation. And benefit the ‘Big Center’

The 2022 election for Congress will feature new rules, which will make it more difficult for tiny parties to get representation in the House

Meet the Brazilian voter

The center has been squeezed out of Brazilian politics, and successful candidates appeal to their opponent’s critics rather than the middle ground. In this context, certain segments of the Brazilian electorate hold the key to this year’s election results

One governor’s race foreshadows complicated election dynamics Brazil will face

Political mess in Alagoas state could have important lessons for the general elections, as House Speaker Arthur Lira flexes his electoral muscles in his home state

UBS BB: Petrobras makes ESG progress but still faces challenges

Jair Bolsonaro meets Elon Musk

Economy Ministry maintains projection for 2022 GDP

In bid for raises, Feds could stop registering new weapons

Government approves plans to privatize 16 Brazilian airports

PAHO: Covid cases “continue to rise” in Latin America

Uptick in Covid-related hospitalizations in São Paulo puts experts on alert

São Paulo drops vaccine mandates and loosens mask requirements

Covid deaths in Brazil at lowest in two years. But cases are on the up

Health regulators ease Covid protocols on flights, in airports

Presidential polling curves begin to flatten

Telegram inks deal with electoral authorities to curb fake news

Hard-right politician loses political rights over Ukraine jab

Brazilian polling station officers want extra security

Bolsonaro rises in Rio, his political birthplace, to tie with Lula

Market roundup: What to expect from Eletrobras shares?

The privatization of Latin America's biggest energy company is edging ever closer, but the government is in a race against time to push it over the line

How the global EV boom can benefit Brazil’s mining sector

As the electric vehicle market booms, surging demand for battery-related minerals creates opportunities in mining – but Brazil has a long way to go to seize these opportunities and diversify its mining sector

One month in, Petrobras CEO already in the hot seat

Petrobras head José Mauro Coelho could be facing premature dismissal as President Bolsonaro leads an onslaught against rising fuel prices in Brazil, seeking electoral gains

Market Roundup: Why Brazilian fintechs are crashing

Fintech Nubank went from being Latin America's most valuable bank to seeing its share price drop by more than half. And it's not the only Brazilian fintech facing struggles

Two major Latin American airlines to team up

Gol, Brazil's biggest domestic airline, and Colombia's Avianca will operate under a UK-based holding company

Tech Roundup: Ten years of the Access to Information Law

Experts warn that Bolsonaro is chipping away and the effectiveness of the Access to Information Law, a crucial piece of Brazil's transparency structure

Supreme Court to rule on its access to social media data

A long-running case on how Brazilian authorities can access data held by Big Tech firms is due to be tried in the Supreme Court. At stake is the celerity of Brazilian investigations into digital crimes

Tech Roundup: Chip shortage delays 5G

Implementation of 5G in major Brazilian cities is likely to take longer than first expected, as companies lack equipment amid semiconductor shortage

Tech Roundup: Data protection and academia

The legal uncertainty around what is and isn't allowed can be a deterrent to innovation and science

Tech Roundup: Brazil’s wants to attract semiconductor producers

The government is hoping Brazil can become a major semiconductor hub, offering an alternative to Asian markets

Explaining Brazil #198: China raises red flags in Brazil

April economic data from China came worse than expected. Given the sheer importance of the Asian giant to Brazil, that is something for President Jair Bolsonaro, who seeks re-election in October, to worry about

Explaining Brazil #197: Lula launches lunge for legacy

Former President Lula officially began the race for an unprecedented third presidential term. The challenges he will face are far greater this time around

Explaining Brazil #196: Will Biden keep a close eye on Brazil’s elections?

A group of researchers from the U.S.-based Washington Brazil Office believe the threat of democratic rupture in Brazil is very real, and they want Joe Biden to react

Explaining Brazil #195: Bolsonaro rattles institutions. Could they break?

When the holder of the highest office in the land openly challenges judicial decisions, it spells a bad omen for the endurance of democratic institutions

Explaining Brazil #194: Jair calls time on the pandemic

After over two years and more than 660,000 deaths in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro is claiming "victory" over Covid-19 — but the government deserves no credit after its hapless pandemic response

Police and government in the spotlight over controversial Cracolândia crackdown

'Cracolândia,' São Paulo's decades-old open-air drug market, is back in the headlines due to a series of heavy-handed police operations

Brazilian judges bullying journalists into silence

Award-winning investigative journalist Rubens Valente is on the hook for a massive defamation suit filed by a Supreme Court justice — and confirmed by the Supreme Court itself

‘Disappearance’ of indigenous community sheds light on Yanomami gold mining drama

After accusing trespassing gold miners of raping and murdering a young indigenous girl, entire Yanomami village 'disappears' and causes commotion. Encroachment of illegal gold mining is an existential threat to indigenous groups

A year after Rio’s “most lethal police raid,” mothers still ask for justice

Residents of Jacarezinho say little has changed since a May 2021 drug bust left 28 dead. Police abuse remains commonplace

Haitian man spent 16 months in a Brazilian prison, waiting to be understood

Haitians make up the second-largest refugee group in Brazil — and the predominance of their Creole language has led to some worrying cases of language barriers

Bolsonaro’s carbon market regulations are only for show

A presidential decree fails to establish mandatory goals for carbon emission cuts and could create legal uncertainty around the issue, endangering the environment

New mining project in Minas Gerais sparks criticisms, concerns

A new mining complex in the Serra do Curral mountain range has been given the green light by state authorities, but environmentalists and local politicians are pushing back

Tens of thousands of environmental fines set to expire in Brazil

Data from protection agencies shows that the government would need ten times more workers to properly enforce environmental controls

‘War’ is coming to parts of the Amazon

Brazil's inability to rein in Amazon deforestation has led to a scenario of widespread lawlessness, conflict, and pessimism about the forest's future

Brazil has the potential to go beyond forest restoration targets

Researchers and private firms are analyzing the best ways to protest and restore Brazil's deforested biomes. Scientists say focusing on secondary vegetation is key

Petro’s economic agenda is ambitious. Perhaps too ambitious

Big tax and spending hikes, a pension reform, and a ban on oil exploration are the highlights of campaign promises proposed by Gustavo Petro, Colombia's presidential frontrunner