Paraguay Weapons Seizure Shows Brazil Crime Presence

In a house in Ciudad del Este -- located in the country's Triple Frontier region with Brazil and Argentina -- Paraguayan police found the Brazilians, one of them an escaped convict, along with 8 automatic rifles, 1,000 live cartridges, and an M2 50-caliber machine gun, reported the Paraguayan ABC newspaper.

They also found a cocaine-processing laboratory with modern equipment and 400 kilos of marijuana.

The suspects are believed to belong to a gang known as the "Strongmen of the Triple Frontier," composed of Brazilians, Argentines and Paraguayans, the newspaper reported. One of them had escaped from prison in Brazil, where he was serving a 40-year sentence for participation in a robbery in his home country.

Police believe they were planning to rob a bank in Alto Parana -- the province where Ciudad del Este is located -- at the time of their capture.

InSight Crime Analysis

It is unclear if the criminal group these men belonged to is entirely independent or somehow affiliated to one of the bigger organizations operating in the country. Paraguay is a key cocaine transshipment point, as well as South America's largest marijuana producer, and Brazil's Red Command is known to have a particularly strong presence.  

SEE ALSO: Red Command Profile

As Brazilian criminal groups such as the Red Command and the First Capital Command (PCC) have risen from their roots as prison gangs, they have established an increasing presence in both Paraguay and Bolivia -- now key transshipment points for drugs and arms.

While Paraguay's lax gun regulations have long facilitated arms smuggling, the seizure of a 50-caliber machine gun is a disturbing development. This sophisticated weapon of war has the capacity to punch through armor and is effective against low-flying aircraft, raising the question of how it got into the hands of gang members and whether this means the battle for Paraguay may be heating up.