Latin America

Outlaw Capital: the inner workings of trade in Paraguay’s Ciudad del Este

Efforts to force Paraguay’s busy informal commercial hub Ciudad del Este to follow global trade rules have only made life harder for those eking out a living

Vendors at work on a bustling Ciudad del Este street. Photo: R.M. Nunes/Shutterstock
Vendors at work on a bustling Ciudad del Este street. Photo: R.M. Nunes/Shutterstock

Paraguay’s Ciudad del Este is a busy South American contraband hub where scrappy Paraguayan vendors and Brazilian traders mix with businessmen from places as far away as Lebanon and South Korea. This hive of activity moves billions of dollars worth of consumer goods, everything from smartphones to whiskey.

The city was built as a commercial hub around low taxes...

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