Operation Mortal Weapon seized 30 7.62-caliber rifles from a house in the Virgen de Caacupé neighborhood of Pedro Juan Caballero, in the Amambay department. Investigators said the weapons had been dismantled and hidden under provisions in the bed of a pickup truck that had allegedly been prepared to take them toward Brazil.
The operation was carried out on August 30 by agents of the National Anti-Drug Secretariat (Senad), Paraguay’s institution responsible for combating drug trafficking, with the participation of anti-drug prosecutor Celso René Morales. Two brothers were detained: Blas Antonio Figueredo López and Fredy Alberto Figueredo López. Sources differ on their ages, but identify both as suspects.
The arsenal consisted of 20 German-made G3 rifles and 10 Spanish-origin CETME rifles, all chambered for the 7.62 x 51 mm NATO standard and accompanied by magazines. The Public Prosecutor’s Office said the weapons were for military use. Morales said the caliber can penetrate armored vehicles and body armor, while Senad Minister Jalil Rachid said the final destination “was Brazil.”
That route remains an investigative hypothesis rather than a judicial conclusion. Senad, prosecutors and investigators say the weapons were allegedly intended for Brazilian criminal groups, but authorities are still trying to establish the origin of the weapons, the other members of the network and the planned route for taking them out of the country.
The operation began with information about a possible drug storage site. About 3 kilograms of pressed and chopped marijuana were found at the property and in the vehicle, some of it described as high-potency, along with three cellphones, G. 6.8 million, R$ 250, five .38-caliber cartridges, documents and two vehicle license plates. The white Ford Ranger pickup, license plate WBZB 005 PY, was seized. One report mentioned a Chevrolet S10, but authorities did not clarify which vehicle model was involved.
The rifle case was transferred to the specialized Organized Crime Unit in Asunción on the orders of the Fiscalía General del Estado, Paraguay’s Public Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutor Ingrid Cubilla is expected to take over the investigation related to arms trafficking, while Morales is initially handling the charges linked to marijuana. The drug investigation remained with the local anti-drug prosecutor’s office.
The seizure was also linked to another batch of 20 G3 and CETME rifles confiscated by Senad on July 29 in Santa Rosa del Monday, in Alto Paraná. At the time, National Police senior noncommissioned officer Tomás Alcides Trinidad Flecha was arrested and accused of transporting the weapons. If investigators confirm the connection between the two shipments, the total would reach 50 rifles removed from a possible smuggling route in just over a month.