Brazil’s Ministry of Defence released a provisional balance sheet on 27 July for **Operation Ágata Arco Sul-Sudeste 2026**, an inter-agency push to curb cross-border crime in Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Military units working with the Federal Police, Receita Federal and state forces confiscated 5.9 tonnes of marijuana, 16 kg of cocaine, nearly 19 kg of hashish and assorted high-value electronics worth R$ 30.5 million. The Ágata programme, created under the government’s Integrated Border-Protection Policy (PPIF), deploys Navy riverine patrols, Army drones and Air Force surveillance aircraft to chokepoints used by smuggling networks moving north from Paraguay and Argentina. July’s sweep targeted secondary river crossings and rural airstrips that traffickers have favoured since larger checkpoints were hardened earlier this year. For international freight forwarders and mobility managers, the results signal **tighter customs scrutiny on legitimate cargo and passenger flows**. Logistics operators at Porto de Paranaguá and the Foz do Iguaçu dry port report longer inspection queues this week as Receita Federal teams process seized contraband. Travellers moving household effects through the Paraná corridor should anticipate added documentation checks and build extra lead-time into relocation schedules. Defence officials say Ágata will now shift focus eastward towards São Paulo’s Vale do Ribeira region – home to routes that funnel counterfeit goods to the Port of Santos. Companies with supply chains in the affected states should monitor further PPIF communiqués and adjust security-escort budgets accordingly.
Source: Ministry of Defence (Brazil)
