Authorities to Burn 1 metric ton of “Paraguayan Mounjaro” and Anabolic Steroids
- Jun 17
- 2 min read
Medications, anabolic steroids, and other substances will be shipped from the capital to the border for incineration
Just over one metric ton of illegal medications and substances seized by the State Health Surveillance Agency will leave Campo Grande this Thursday (18) bound for the border region of Mato Grosso do Sul—where they originated—to be incinerated. The shipment to be destroyed contains analogs of the famous “Mounjaro”—a sensation in the rapid weight loss trend—as well as peptides used for cosmetic purposes and foreign-manufactured anabolic steroids that lack registration or authorization from Anvisa (the National Health Surveillance Agency).
The incineration brings to a close a cycle that began months ago with Operation Visa-Protege, led by the State Health Surveillance Coordination Office, which revealed Mato Grosso do Sul as one of the main entry points and distribution hubs for illicit medications throughout the rest of the country.
In the first few months of the operation alone, inspectors seized approximately one metric ton of illegal products valued at over R$15 million. The shipments were intercepted at the Postal Service Sorting Center in Campo Grande before they could be sent to various Brazilian states, primarily in the Northeast.
The seizures included medications hidden inside dolls, stuffed animals, air fryers, sandwich makers, books, thermoses, and cosmetic packaging, in an attempt to evade inspection.
Among the seized products are medications containing tirzepatide, the active ingredient found in so-called “weight-loss pens,” which have become a nationwide craze.
Health authorities’ concerns go beyond smuggling. Some of the seized products are on a list of medications that have already been the subject of health alerts in Paraguay itself. In May, Dinavisa (Paraguay’s National Health Surveillance Agency) classified various peptides, hormones, and anabolic steroids as posing a “serious risk to public health,” ordering the immediate suspension of the use of these products.
Around the same time, the Health Surveillance Agency identified, among the seizures made during the local operation, weight-loss drugs that had been banned in the neighboring country. In other words, these products—manufactured without proof of quality and safety—continued to enter Brazil via the land border and were redistributed to consumers in various regions of the country.
The black market for anabolic steroids also became more exposed.
A recent report showed that the country’s proximity to Paraguay facilitates access to hormones and steroids used for muscle mass gain, many of which are sold without health oversight and traded via messaging apps. Experts warn that the indiscriminate use of these substances is associated with serious cardiovascular, liver, and hormonal complications.
According to a statement from the State Department of Health, all products to be destroyed were seized for illegal sale and for lacking approval from Anvisa. With no guarantees regarding their origin, storage, or composition, these medications pose a potential risk to consumers’ health.
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