Paraguay rounds up ex-military leaders in arms smuggling sting carried out with Brazil

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. Paraguay authorities say the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was also involved in the year-long investigation. Brazilian federal police said on Tuesday the arms were imported from Europe to Paraguay, where they were defaced and resold to intermediary groups operating on the Brazil-Paraguay border, ultimately reaching major criminal factions in Brazil.” Brazilian authorities said close to 43,000 pieces of weapons worth around $243 million were imported to Paraguay over the past three years under the scheme.