Paraguay is close to enacting regulations on electronic cigarettes, or vapes. The Congress approved a law on the subject in June, which awaits the president's approval.

The topic raises alarms in Brazil: “As it happens with Paraguayan cigarettes, legally produced there and illegally sold here, the inflow of vapes should increase, feeding smuggling.”, says Roberta Duarte, chief of the Crimes against Immaterial Properties Police Station of Rio de Janeiro.

Sales of the device are forbidden in Brazil since 2009, but the product currently has 5,3 million users in the country, according to USP and Ipsos institute research.

In recent years, seizures have grown from R$61.8 million in 2023 to R$179.4 million in 2024—an increase of 190%, according to the Counterfeiting Yearbook.

“Until Brazil moves forward with regulations for electronic smoking devices, the country will remain vulnerable,” says Edimilson Alves, president of the Brazilian Tobacco Industry Association.