PRF Seizes Record Arsenal of Rifles and Pistols Hidden in Truck Near Paraguay Border

Overview

• The Polícia Rodoviária Federal intercepted a truck on BR-277 on June 17 and recovered the PRF’s largest-ever rifles seizure after reassembling parts hidden in the cargo.
• Inventory listed by the PRF includes 25 rifles, 16 pistols, 127 magazines and more than 5,000 rounds, with most rifles 5.56 mm of U.S. manufacture and two AK-47 assault rifles among the haul.
• The truck left Argentina with animal-feed inputs bound for Minas Gerais, the 28-year-old driver admitted to carrying the weapons during the inspection and was handed to the Polícia Federal on international arms‑trafficking charges.
• PRF officials said smugglers often use hidden compartments and disassembled parts to evade detection, and they framed the operation as part of the federal Programa Brasil Contra o Crime Organizado.
• Authorities will trace the weapons’ origins and routes to identify beneficiary networks, and the seizure could tighten supply lines for criminal factions by increasing checks along known border corridors.