Argentine authorities have just busted what appeared to be a large-scale scheme of illegally importing and exporting firearms. The recent (November 3) action primarily involved the local GNA – Gendarmeria Nacional Argentina (the nationwide, military-organized security agency), while the PFA – Policia Federal Argentina and the DGA – Dirección General de Aduanas (the customs agency) also participated. Significantly, initial intelligence was reportedly provided by HIS (Homeland Security Institute), the investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Preliminary reports say that 620 firearms were found in four different hiding places in Argentina, these including 344 long guns (plus a single 7.62x51mm FN MAG machine gun) and 276 short guns of multiple types, in addition to 32,940 rounds of ammunition of different calibers. It was also reported that all the weapons had been illegally imported from the United States and that would eventually find their way to criminal groups in Brazil. Detailed investigations are now being carried out by a tri-national (U.S., Argentina, and Brazil) team so that the whole scheme can be appropriately figured out.
Some details, however, have emerged. Other than the presence of the MAG machine gun in one of the caches, the more habitual crime-related rifles (e.g., AR and AK platforms) were also found, while vintage bolt-action rifles were particularly numerous. The short guns included pistols and revolvers of all ages and types, including some real museum/collector items (Luger P.08 and Mauser “Broolhandle” pistols spotted).
The photos below may help sharp-eyed TFB readers to ID some of the hardware seized:
Wanna have fun? Slightly-higher-res pics at https://imgur.com/a/vBzixoP