The Sao Paulo Highway Police seized 1,151.6 kilograms of illicit drugs concealed inside a grain transport truck on the border between Ourinhos, in Sao Paulo state, and Jacarezinho, in Parana. The 24-year-old Paraguayan truck driver was taken into custody under suspicion of drug trafficking on Thursday afternoon.

The interception took place during routine highway patrols under the regional Operation Impact. According to highway officers, an inspection of the semi-trailer revealed dozens of bundles hidden beneath a legitimate shipment of rice. Official weighing confirmed 1,139.35 kilograms of compressed marijuana and 12.3 kilograms of dry sift, a concentrated cannabis resin extract.

Following the discovery, the driver was detained and transferred to the Federal Police precinct in Marilia, Sao Paulo. The truck, the trailer, and the narcotics were impounded for forensic analysis. Federal investigators have opened a formal police inquiry to determine the origin, transport route, and intended recipients of the cargo inside Brazil.

The Paraguayan national remains in federal custody under the legal presumption of innocence while represented by counsel. The next procedural step is a custodial hearing before a federal judge, who will review the legality of the arrest and determine whether the suspect will be held under pre-trial detention while the criminal investigation continues.