Brazilian authorities have confirmed that an Argentine Armed Forces' Fusil Automático Liviano (FAL) rifle was found among the weapons seized during a mega-operation in Rio de Janeiro's favelas. The security forces' offensive resulted in the confiscation of a vast arsenal—assault rifles, pistols, and ammunition—with a death toll exceeding one hundred and dozens of arrests. Initial verifications suggest the discovered FAL may have been part of a lot previously stolen from Argentine military arsenals. The weapon's origin is under investigation. Security sources indicated that tracing could link it to thefts investigated at the Arsenal Battalion 603 'Fray Luis Beltrán' (Santa Fe), a hypothesis to be subjected to ballistic tests and verification of serial numbers. The result of the expert examinations will be key for potential administrative and legal actions for the theft and trafficking of military weapons. Concurrently, requests for judicial and police cooperation with Brazil are expected to access the seized arsenal's archives and deepen the traceability of Argentine military material that may have crossed the border. The next phase of the investigation will focus on reconstructing the diversion chain and determining whether local intermediaries or transnational networks were involved. The deployment of thousands of personnel and armored vehicles has reignited the regional debate on strategies against organized crime and the use of force standards. Argentina's Ministry of Security and Ministry of Defense are monitoring the investigation into the FAL's origin and analyzing coordinated reinforcements at border crossings and Triple Border corridors to dismantle illicit trafficking routes. The find was discovered in the arsenals of Comando Vermelho, a criminal organization that was the target of a large-scale operation in complexes like Alemão and Penha.
