During a routine inspection on the BR-277 highway in Santa Terezinha de Itaipu (PR), five vehicles tried to evade Federal Revenue officials on Thursday (8), resulting in a series of collisions and seizures of goods.
One of the vehicles, on noticing the presence of the police, tried to swerve and ended up crashing into a lamppost. The car was loaded with electronics and perfumes, totaling BRL 60,000 in goods. The driver and passenger were arrested for disobedience and embezzlement. Another vehicle then tried to escape in the vicinity of the Morumbi neighborhood. As a result of the high-speed maneuvers, the car ended up with its front bumper and radiator damaged, preventing it from continuing its escape. The driver refused to take the breathalyzer test and had no driver's license; there were no goods on board.
Three other vehicles also tried to escape. One of them, on noticing the inspection, swerved and crashed into a cone at the tollbooth. Inside this vehicle, cell phones and electronics worth BRL 55,000 were found. Another car tried to hide after fleeing the toll, but was located trying to return to Foz do Iguaçu and inspected; it was carrying cell phones and perfumes, with an estimated value of BRL 25,000. The last vehicle was traveling along the BR-277 towards Medianeira, but was stopped. This car's cargo consisted of goods outside the quota, valued at BRL 20,000.
Resisting inspection approaches can result in imprisonment for disobedience, as well as other penalties, including the risk of endangering the lives of third parties. In total, the operation resulted in the seizure of BRL 160,000 worth of goods and the arrest of two individuals. All the vehicles and goods were sent to the Federal Revenue Customs headquarters.
