An illegal firearm manufacturing and supply ring across the country was broken up by police in Turkey last month involving the arrest of 106 suspects across 10 provinces. Along with smuggling guns and adapting blank firing pistols, it appears in some instances (as has been seen in the past) entirely new pistols were being manufactured semi-professionally, interestingly using methods such as casting. Turkey is home to quite a large number of gun manufacturers, people currently employed or having worked in the industry likely to be able to employ the skills and know-how to set up small illegal cottage industries mimicking industrial methods.

Molds for illegal manufacture of firearms (Photo: Sozcu)

Left: A locally craft made self-loading pistol. Right: Modified Turkish made blank firing pistols. (Photo: Sozcu)

Below is what appears to be a modified Reising Model 50 .45 ACP submachine gun which was seized from a drug dealer in Costa Rica on Saturday. A large number of Reising SMGs were sold to the police forces there, this one likely having made its way into the black market through theft or corruption.

Photo: Fuerza Publica

In this photo of firearms seized on Monday in the Brazilian state of Ceará, along with a Beretta M12 appears to be a crude craft copy of the Brazilian made copy of the Madsen M50, the INA M953. While the layout is identical, it does not appear to utilize a hinged clamshell receiver like the original.

Photo: Policia Miltar

INA M953 (Photo: Ronaldo Olive)

Another homemade SMG seized along with two pistols (Taurus 24/7?) in Espirito Santo. The SMG, chambered in .380 appears very similar to one covered in last week’s post also seized in ES, likely having been made by the same maker.

Photo: Policia Civil

“Military Police Seizes Eight US-made Machine guns Hidden in Truck”  Closer to home more like…

“The work of the Military Police (PM) intelligence service resulted in the seizure of eight US-made restricted-use 9mm caliber machine guns. The arsenal was hidden under a truck that was approached on the shores of BR-452, the road that connects Araxá and Uberlândia, between Alto Paranaíba and Triângulo Mineiro. Two men were arrested. The suspicion is of international arms trafficking. Because of this, the case will be investigated by the Federal Police (PF)” EM

Far from an international arms trafficking incident, In reality this locally made ‘blimp’ model of underground SMG has been seized from criminals for the last five years at least and is almost certainly produced in domestically Brazil, likely in Minas Gerais going by the number seized in the state.

Police photo

Seven Illegal Gun Factories Busted in Bihar

A very typical illicit manufacturing operation involving several small workshops which are commonly set up in rented houses. The once seldom seen semi-automatic .32 ACP pistols are now very commonly seized in the region, gun makers shifting from traditional single-shot ‘katta’ pistols to more profitable semi-autos.

Photo: Decan Herald

“Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided the Herudiyara area of the district under Mufassil police station on Friday evening and busted seven illegal mini gun factories and arrested four persons along with various equipment to manufacture arms and ammunition, Superintendent of Police, Gaurav Mangla said.

He said the police also seized seven base machines, one pistol, two partially made pistols, two pieces of 7.65 mm cartridges, five semis made magazines and various equipment to manufacture arms from the seven mini gun factories.” Decan Herald

Below: Modified cartridges primed with a mixture likely containing ground up strike anywhere matchheads: