Paraguay National Police rifles stolen and replaced with dummy weapons.

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August 27, 2018 11:17 AM Updated August 27, 2018 11:17 AM After high-powered rifles meant to be used by police began turning up on the black market, Paraguay officials started an investigation, the BBC reported. They found where the rifles had come from. They also found a few unwelcome parting gifts from the crooks. Paraguay officials say unknown thieves had broken into the National Police’s Department of Armaments and Munitions in Capiatá and made off 42 FAL-type rifles, which had come from Brazil originally, ABC Color reported.

Officials believe the weapons were stolen to be sold on the black market in Brazil and neighboring countries, InfoBae reported. The Brazilian and Argentine governments have been placed on alert, according to the site.

News of the heist comes about a year after a Brazilian gang reportedly stormed a police headquarters and security vault using explosives and automatic weapons, killing one officer and making off with about $8 million in loot, The Guardian reported in 2017. Local media reportedly described the attack as the “heist of the century,” according to the paper.

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