The Brazilian Federal Revenue Office (RFB) seized a large quantity of imported wine, transported without the registrations required by law, in a bus coming from Arapongas (PR). The approach was made on BR-277, in the neighboring Santa Terezinha de Itaipu.
The vehicle was unsealed by federal agents on this Tuesday, 20, having been seized on May 19. The quantity of wine totaled 1,526 bottles, which cost approximately BRL 112 thousand, according to the assessment made by the RFB.
The foreign wines must have the label in Portuguese and the Industrialized Products Tax (IPI) stamp, explains the RFB. The bottles removed from circulation will be donated to universities to transform the product into alcohol gel.
The bottles were taken to the warehouse of the Federal Revenue Office in Foz do Iguaçu. According to the agency's balance sheet, in the district that covers regions of Paraná and Santa Catarina, about BRL 5.9 million in wines were seized.
Operation in Argentina
The Federal Administration of Public Revenue (AFIP) of Argentina conducted a major operation against smuggling of Argentine wines last week. The action was supported by the Federal Revenue Office and the Federal Police, Brazilian agencies.
The simultaneous intervention, in Misiones, Córdoba and Mendoza, as well as in Buenos Aires, resulted in the seizure of more than 12,500 bottles of high-end wine, estimated at BRL 812,000, H2FOZ reported. The borders are the main points of departure of the product from Argentina.