BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Several former top military officials in Paraguay have been arrested as part of a cross-border law enforcement operation with Brazil to disband an arms smuggling ring that brought firearms from Europe to South America, officials said Tuesday.
The U. S. Department of Homeland Security is also involved in the year-long investigation, according to Paraguayan authorities.
“The weapons were imported from Europe to Paraguay, where they were degraded and resold to intermediary teams operating on the Brazil-Paraguay border, thus achieving Brazil’s main criminal factions,” Brazil’s federal police said in a statement.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Create an account or log in to continue your experience.
You do not have an account? Create an account
Nearly 43,000 pieces of this type of weapon — about $243 million — have been imported into Paraguay over the past three years under the program, the Brazilian government said.
At least 13 other people have been arrested in Paraguay, including the former head of Paraguay’s firearms import and distribution office known as Dimabel, which is a department of the armed forces. The former head of the Paraguayan Air Force, Gen. Arturo Gonzalez, was also arrested.
The arrests were part of at least 20 raids that took place in Paraguay and 20 in Brazil. A raid was also carried out in Kansas, according to Paraguayan authorities.
The investigation concluded that army officials were preoccupied with authorizing “the importation of weapons, changing documents to comply with firearms laws, as well as authorizing abnormal sales in exchange for gigantic sums of money,” according to a Paraguayan government report. National Anti-Drug Secretariat.
A company in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, run by an Argentine businessman, imported branded weapons from Croatia, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. Reportedly, the company used its contacts in Dimabel to temporarily unload the approval of the imports.
Once in South America, the weapons were sold to intermediaries with connections to criminal gangs in Brazil. Money from the operations was allegedly laundered through the United States.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a civilized discussion forum and encourages all readers to share their perspectives on our articles. It can take up to an hour for comments to moderate before appearing on the site. We ask that your feedback be applicable and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications: you’ll now receive an email if you get a response to your comment, if there’s an update to a comment thread you’re following, or if a user you follow comments. Check out our network rules for more facts and main points on how to adjust your email settings.
365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, AT M4W 3L4
© 2023 Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.
This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.